Why Midnight Mass Creator Mike Flanagan Is Glad His Show Got Pirated
It's no secret that Netflix (and most streaming services for that matter) have little interest in releasing shows or movies on physical media. Occasionally, a title might make its way to Blu-ray, but it's genuinely surprising when it does happen. This has become a real sticking point for many viewers, as stuff keeps disappearing from streaming services as companies look to cut costs by saving on royalties. Heck, Disney+ removed the movie "Crater" from its service mere weeks after it debuted, and now it's nowhere to be found. That's why Mike Flanagan has changed his tune when it comes to piracy.
Flanagan was a mainstay at Netflix for years, making shows like "The Haunting of Hill House" and "Midnight Club," as well as movies such as "Gerald's Game." Recently, a fan reached out to him on Tumblr inquiring about a DVD release of "Midnight Mass." Such a thing doesn't exist, but Flanagan revealed that he actually owns several pirated copies of the show. In Flanagan's eyes, the people making these unsanctioned Blu-rays are archivists, of sorts.
"Yesterday's 'pirates' are, in some cases, the only hope for archival preservation of a growing amount of shows and movies. I have purchased several pirated Blu-ray copies of Midnight Mass, am very impressed with the quality and presentation, and I am profoundly grateful they exist. Godspeed, noble archivists."
Flanagan explained in his post that Netflix and other companies removing content from services has made him change his tune regarding piracy. "I used to be vehemently opposed to piracy. I have completely changed my stance on that issue," he said while also declaring that, "Physical media is critical."
Mike Flanagan's quest for physical media
The majority of Flanagan's work for Netflix is not available on Blu-ray or DVD. The exceptions are "The Haunting of Hill House" and "The Haunting of Bly Manor" which, as the filmmaker explained, were co-produced by Paramount, who retained the home video rights. Hence, the exception.
Flanagan, for his part, tried very, very hard to get Netflix to put out "Midnight Mass" and his other work on Blu-ray. After quite a few failed attempts, the company actually circled back to him and apparently had plans for a box set of his work. But that too fell by the wayside. As Flanagan explained:
"At one point, they said they were actually going to do it – an executive told me they were going to package everything into a 'Flanaverse' box set (man I hate that word, but I would have lived with it gladly if it meant physical media releases). I was overjoyed. But months went by without any further updates. When I finally followed up, they sent a single-sentence email that basically said 'oh yeah, never mind, we weren't able to get that going.' I pushed for an explanation as to why but never got anything more specific than 'physical media just isn't a priority for the company.' That outcome, and the dismissive, nonchalant delivery of the news, were entirely demoralizing."
Maybe that's why Flanagan and Trevor Macy are leaving Netflix for Prime Video. In any event, he is a true believer in the importance of physical media and has been trying to fight the good fight behind the scenes. The good news is that Blu-ray and DVD sales are up nearly 10% compared to last year, which might motivate Netflix and other studios to make physical releases a priority. If not, Flanagan might know where you can find some good pirated Blu-rays.