Zach Cregger’s Stalled Movie Reveals The One Theater Mistake Netflix Can’t Stop Making
Zach Cregger’s sci-fi The Flood has slammed into a Netflix roadblock: he wants a theatrical run, the streamer wants it on-platform. First penned at Amblin, the film is now stuck in a release tug-of-war despite Netflix’s early enthusiasm sparked by the Weapons buzz.
Here we go again: a filmmaker wants a real theatrical rollout, Netflix wants streams, and a pretty exciting sci-fi project is stuck in the middle. Zach Cregger’s long-gestating movie The Flood has hit the brakes at Netflix, and the reason is not subtle. He wants big screens. They don’t.
What’s actually happening with The Flood
Cregger wrote The Flood back when he was at Amblin. Netflix circled hard after his recent genre hit Weapons surprised everyone with a $268 million worldwide haul. Then the tide turned. Multiple reports say Netflix cooled on the release plan, and the project is now in limbo.
How the deal fell apart
This part is a little wild. Netflix film chief Dan Lin reportedly flew to Prague — yes, Prague — where Cregger was prepping Sony’s Resident Evil reboot with Austin Abrams. Lin dangled what Cregger wanted: a legit theatrical push for The Flood.
Then Ted Sarandos stepped in. According to the same reporting, the Netflix co-CEO wasn’t willing to go beyond the company’s usual short, awards-qualifying theatrical window. Cregger didn’t budge. Result: pause button. Which is awkward, because he had been teasing The Flood as the next thing on his slate after Resident Evil.
Netflix keeps flirting with theaters, just not marrying them
Here’s the context that makes this messy. Netflix has been dabbling with bigger theatrical moves lately, but it’s inconsistent. Most titles get a tiny New York/LA run. Then you have the occasional splashy exception that makes filmmakers think maybe, just maybe, they’ll get the big-screen treatment too:
- Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein got a theatrical debut in October.
- The Stranger Things Season 5 finale is headed to theaters on New Year’s Day 2026, day-and-date with Netflix.
- Greta Gerwig’s Narnia movie secured an IMAX release.
- KPop Demon Hunters even pulled a surprise $24 million in theaters.
So yeah, the door is sometimes open — until it isn’t. Which is exactly the bind The Flood is in.
What Netflix says out loud
Ted Sarandos has not been coy about where the company lives and dies. Asked if theatrical wins might change their approach, he gave the blunt answer:
"There’s no change in the strategy. Our strategy is to give our members exclusive first-run movies on Netflix."
"We occasionally release certain films in theaters for our fans."
Translation: theater is a promo tool or an awards box to check, not the plan. If you’re a director who wants a wide theatrical rollout, you’re going to have to fight for it.
Where this leaves Cregger and The Flood
After delivering a monster hit with Weapons, Cregger understandably wants his sci-fi passion project to play like a real movie in real theaters. Netflix doesn’t want to set that precedent. That push-and-pull is exactly how you end up with a promising film in purgatory — and with a streamer risking the goodwill of the filmmakers who’ve given it some of its biggest wins.
Bottom line: The Flood is stalled until someone blinks. If Netflix won’t move beyond a token theatrical window, don’t be shocked if this one swims to a different distributor.