Netflix to get ‘The Artist,’ other films in Weinstein Co. deal

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Academy Awards favorite ‘The Artist’ and other films from the Weinstein Co. are headed to Netflix.

The multi-year deal announced by the two companies Tuesday also includes a variety of the Weinstein Co.’s modest box-office performers, including the drama ‘Sarah’s Key,’ the Madonna-directed ‘W.E.’ and the upcoming documentary ‘Undefeated.’ Those films will be exclusively available on Netflix’s streaming service after finishing their theatrical run and debuting on DVD.

However, Netflix will not get Weinstein Co.’s more popular English-language movies, such as ‘Scream 4,’ ‘My Week with Marilyn’ and ‘The Iron Lady.’ Those films are covered under an existing deal Weinstein Co. has with pay cable channel Showtime.

Netflix has been seeking exclusive deals with independent film studios in order to bolster its content library as it faces a growing array of competitors in the subscription video-on-demand space, including Amazon.com, a Verizon-Redbox joint venture and a just-announced plan from Comcast. It has already signed similar deals with Relativity Media, FilmDistrict and Open Road Films.

The deal also provides a boost to the bottom line of Weinstein Co., which is getting an undisclosed amount of revenue for movies that wouldn’t have generated much money from traditional cable channels.

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-- Ben Fritz and Joe Flint