Netflix nabs streaming rights to the Legend of Zelda movie

Zelda in the Legend of Zelda movie — (Image credit: Nintendo)

I'll be honest, I didn't really think the live action Legend of Zelda movie would ever release when it was first announced in 2023. I become more convinced I was wrong with each passing day, as not only have they started casting folks for the rumored trilogy, but streaming giant Netflix has successfully negotiated for the movie's streaming rights.

That was announced in a press release Thursday and reflects a continued partnership between Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment, the latter of which will distribute the film. It's part of a "landmark global Pay-1 licensing deal"—the Pay-1 window being the bit of a movie's rollout right after its theatrical run and home video release—which the release calls an "industry first."

The deal includes streaming rights to a host of Sony Pictures films, set to "roll out gradually starting later this year as individual territory rights become available, with full global availability on Netflix in early 2029," the release states. That includes a bunch of films from Sony's back catalog (exactly what is not clear yet), and upcoming flicks like The Legend of Zelda and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Long story short, if you're hoping to catch the Zelda movie and hate the magical collective experience of cinema in a real theater, expect to do so on Netflix—at first, anyway. Nothing beats the movie theater, but I'm curious to see if I get the same whiff of sublime melancholy I got from playing Twilight Princess while watching a live action Zelda production interrupted by AI slop ads every few minutes.

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Justin first became enamored with PC gaming when World of Warcraft and Neverwinter Nights 2 rewired his brain as a wide-eyed kid. As time has passed, he's amassed a hefty backlog of retro shooters, CRPGs, and janky '90s esoterica. Whether he's extolling the virtues of Shenmue or troubleshooting some fiddly old MMO, it's hard to get his mind off games with more ambition than scruples. When he's not at his keyboard, he's probably birdwatching or daydreaming about a glorious comeback for real-time with pause combat. Any day now...

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