Major cinemas around the world are not screening the film, whose early
Netflix release date they see as an existential threat
If there was ever a sign that cinema-going was becoming a niche experience, it must be that a major feature directed by one of the godfathers of modern film will grace only a handful of big screens around the world.
Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, a crime drama starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, is not the first likely blockbuster to bypass wide theatrical release before heading to the binge-box of home entertainment, but it is perhaps the most notable – and it’s sparked a coordinated response from cinema operators internationally, who see the rise of the streaming giants as an existential threat.