Ardent film fans might have to call in sick to work on June 1 - that's the day that the Miramax film library become available for streaming on Netflix. The deal, which is worth some $100 million over five years, will add hundreds of Miramax titles to Netflix, many of them considered classics such as Reservoir Dogs, My Left Foot, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, and Cinema Paradiso. Acquiring the Miramax library as a whole is a coup for Netflix since most studios license out only part of their collection at a time.
While the Miramax library has more than 700 films, not all of the titles will be available at once. Some titles, such as Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting and Kill Bill I and II, Bridget Jones's Diary, Shakespeare in Love, as well as the Halloween, Scream and Spy Kids films, will be rotated into the Netflix lineup over time.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Miramax is also in talks for similar deals with Amazon.com Inc and Facebook. Inc., although Facebook says no such licensing deal is in the works.