Matt Damon Reveals Netflix's Demand for Repeated Movie Plot Points

WASHINGTON — Matt Damon gave a peek behind the curtain of how Netflix wants movies to be written while promoting his and Ben Affleck's new movie. The long-time friends and collaborators took to the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast Friday to discuss a variety of topics, but one has sparked conversations about cinema online. Damon, Rogan and Affleck chatted a bit about how "there's no feeling like" going to the movies and how some people aren't getting that anymore. Damon said because watching things at home where the dogs and kids are running around, the lights are on and other things are happening around, it changes the experience of watching a movie like one would at the theater. "It's just a very different level of attention that you're willing to or that you're able to give to it," he said. "That has a big effect. And it also ends up having an effect, or is starting to have an effect, on how you make movies." Damon explained about how streaming platforms and watching things at-home "starts to infringe on how we're telling the story" and even the budget. "The standard way to make an action movie that we learned was, you usually have three set pieces. One in the first act, one in the second, one in the third,” Damon told Rogan. "You spend most of your money on that one in the third act. That’s your finale. And now they’re like, 'Can we get a big one in the first five minutes? We want people to stay. And it wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue because people are on their phones while they’re watching.'" Affleck said it's a supply and demand situation where if people want to look at their phone, they probably will and it should encourage movie makers to "make (expletive) the best you can. Make it really good." The topic prompted conversation on social media with some users expressing frustration over the typical Netflix writing. Others said it bleeds into non-Netflix viewing experiences, too. "Had roommates that had never seen 'Die Hard' so I decided to watch it with them. The entire movie they're doing chores and on their phones," one user wrote. The post got more than 55,000 likes and had users agreeing with people doing other things while "watching" movies. Affleck encouraged movie makers not to see streaming as an "existential threat," and to shift and adapt. Joe Carnahan’s “The Rip,” a crime thriller set across one foggy Miami night, stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and is available for streaming on Netflix. They play Miami narcotics officers who come upon a cartel stash house that Lt. Dane Dumars (Damon) says may have $150,000 hidden in the walls. It turns out to be more than $20 million, though, and their mission immediately turns from a Friday afternoon smash-and-grab into an imminent siege where no one can be trusted. “The Rip,” a Netflix release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for violence and pervasive language. Running time: 133 minutes.