Netflix dug deep to secure the movie and reportedly outbid studios in a $12 million deal. It shows how serious the company is about dominating the movie business, after it paid around $18 million to acquire Jadotville, a war thriller starring Fifty Shades of Grey's Jamie Dornan. On top of that, Netflix has already begun work on the sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and teamed up with Adam Sandler for four new original movies.

For Netflix to be eligible for an Academy Award, its movies need to be shown in theaters before they make their debut online. The streaming service hasn't yet confirmed if that will be the case for Beasts, but Deadline's sources suggest the company will make a "vigorous push in Oscar season" as it hopes to emulate the success of its original TV shows.