According to Variety, film analysts believe the "Netflix-ification" of action movies in recent years has caused people to basically ignore run-and-gun blockbusters like "Ambulance" when they debut in theaters now, since most viewers already have access to so many similar flicks at home.
"Big-budget action movies were once the bastion of the big screen," explained Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst with Comscore. "Only the movie theater [could] render these expensive films profitable," he told Variety. "[Those films] are now finding favor with audiences on streaming platforms, such as Netflix, who have the cash to produce such films," Dergarabedian said. Indeed, Netflix films like "Extraction" and "The Old Guard" are readily available to subscribers — no ticket needed.
While experts also point to "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" and its success as another major factor, most believe that ever-growing action movie libraries on Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and other streaming apps have played the biggest role. Even Michael Bay, himself, has gotten in on the stay-at-home phenomenon — releasing "6 Underground" with Netflix in 2019. "Today's audiences want something special every time," said David A. Gross, head of the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. "The bar is set higher now," he told Variety.
