By Netflix reportedly turned down an offer to buy the recent Zachary Levi-led “Harold and the Purple Crayon” film.
Based on the 1955 children’s book of the same name by Crockett Johnson, Sony Pictures released the film in cinemas where it proceeded to bomb – grossing $29.2 million against a $40 million production budget.
Not helping were the generally negative reviews from critics with just a 26% (4.3/10) score on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience CinemaScore was a little better at an A- grade.
Bloomberg reports that studio executives at Sony Pictures contacted Netflix with an offer to purchase the distribution rights to the movie from them in the months before the film’s release.
They claim the execs “liked the film just fine” but were concerned about breaking through against animated films at the time like “Inside Out 2” and “Despicable Me 4”.
However, Netflix wasn’t interested in purchasing the film as the company’s new film chairman Dan Lin has changed the business strategy. As a result, the streamer will no longer be a dumping ground for studio leftovers.
“Harold and the Purple Crayon” is currently available to rent or purchase on streaming VOD platforms.
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