Netflix is planning to expand its Preview Club, a group of subscribers who preview select shows or films before they officially appear in Netflix’s catalog. It’ll increase the previewer base to tens of thousands of users around the world early next year, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
The Preview Club, which started more than a year ago, is Netflix’s version of performing test screenings, which have been a staple of Hollywood for generations. According to the Journal, the Preview Club had a significant impact on at least one big release: Don’t Look up, a 2021 Netflix film starring Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. Before the film was released, previewers said the movie was too serious, so the creators made the movie funnier, according to the Journal.
Expanding the Preview Club may be Netflix’s way of ensuring it’s maximizing every dollar spent on its films and shows before releasing them, as the streaming giant lost more than a million subscribers earlier this year before rebounding in October.
The company declined to comment on the report.
