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Would you want to observe Dune, the massive, sweeping sci-fi epic, starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya?

If that’s the case, you may head over to Netflix, which began streaming the 2021 film this week.

Then once more, when you have Max, the streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), you’ve been capable of watch Dune for nearly two years, which is smart: WBD additionally owns the Warner Bros. film studio that made Dune. And you may nonetheless watch Dune on Max now.

It’s not unparalleled to have the identical film taking part in on a number of providers: You too can, for example, watch Wolf of Wall Avenue on each Netflix and Paramount+. However Dune is completely different for a few causes. And the explanation its look on Netflix is vital is that it tells you the way Hollywood and Wall Avenue have modified the way in which they have a look at streaming.

A really temporary historical past of the streaming wars: For years, film studios and TV networks had been comfortable to promote Netflix their outdated stuff. Then they realized they’d helped construct Netflix into a significant competitor and adjusted their minds. Led by Disney, the massive studios stopped promoting Netflix their greatest stuff and put these films and TV reveals on their very own providers as an alternative.

That’s why Jason Kilar, the previous CEO of WBD’s predecessor, thought he was doing the proper factor by making all of the Warner Bros. films that got here out in 2021— together with Dune — out there to stream on his service the identical day they had been in theaters. A part of the logic was that it will be arduous for most individuals to see films in theaters due to the pandemic. The opposite half was that Kilar wished to present individuals a motive to subscribe to what was then known as HBO Max.

However that was the outdated approach Massive Media thought concerning the streaming wars: spend a ton of cash to construct up Netflix rivals, and don’t fear about dropping cash as a result of that didn’t hassle Netflix both.

That perspective expired greater than a yr in the past, when Netflix misplaced prospects and noticed its inventory tank, after which Wall Avenue determined it was now not going to encourage media firms to lose cash constructing streaming providers as rapidly as attainable.

Now, Wall Avenue is pushing large content material firms to show their spending approach down and discover new methods to generate income from the stuff they’ve. Which is what WBD did earlier this yr when it licensed a bunch of HBO reveals to Netflix. And that’s at the very least a part of what’s taking place right here with Dune.

One distinction, although, is that when it got here to HBO reveals, WBD offered its competitor Netflix older titles, like Band of Brothers or Ballers, however not its marquee stuff, like Sport of Thrones or Succession. Dune is a current film, and an enormous one: It grossed greater than $400 million on the field workplace, regardless that it was launched when a lot of movie-watchers had been nonetheless avoiding theaters due to the pandemic.

So that you would possibly assume WBD would need to preserve Dune on Max, particularly since its sequel, initially scheduled to debut this fall, will come out subsequent spring. New film = new alternative to inform individuals concerning the outdated film and the place to observe it solely, proper?

Nope. As an alternative, WBD individuals inform me, the corporate made two calculations: One is that licensing Dune as a “co-exclusive” to Netflix, similar to promoting HBO reveals to Netflix, will generate some money for a corporation that wants money as a result of it has near $50 billion in debt. And the opposite is that placing the primary Dune on Netflix might assist generate extra ticket consumers for Dune 2 when it debuts subsequent yr.

And that second thought appears … believable? For starters, Dune has been streaming on Max for some time, so anybody who wished to subscribe to see it has in all probability already executed so. And in addition, it’s totally attainable that Netflix, with its big subscriber base, might certainly generate curiosity in a brand new film.

In any case, it’s fairly nicely established that reruns can do very, very nicely on Netflix. See: Breaking Dangerous, The Workplace, Buddies, and now … Fits? And HBO programming boss Casey Bloys advised me final week that HBO reruns on Netflix had been spiking curiosity for a similar reveals on Max. It’s respectable odds that this may additionally work for a sprawling film starring two of popular culture’s largest stars.

Which is a really great distance of claiming that whereas there are many individuals in Hollywood frightened about Massive Media’s about-face on streaming — particularly, individuals seeking to make or promote initiatives streamers would have snapped up a few years in the past however gained’t contact now — there’s some upside, at the very least for shoppers: In case your favourite film isn’t on the streamer you subscribe to, simply wait. It might get there ultimately.