AMC Theatres, Regal Cinemas & Cinemark Won't Play 'Roma' In Their Best Picture Showcases

Even though Roma ended up with a total of 10 Oscar nominations this morning, including Best Picture, that's not a good enough reason for AMC Theatres, Regal Cinemas and Cinemark to pack away their grudge with Netflix. Every year, the two movie theater chains host a showcase of all the Best Picture nominees, but since Alfonso Cuarón's critically acclaimed Roma is a Netflix movie that didn't stick to the traditional theatrical release plans, they won't include the film in their line-up. You know, like a pouting child.

Deadline has word on the Regal Cinemas, Cinemark and AMC Theatres Best Picture showcase banning Roma from the film line-up that helps audiences catch up on the movies up for the most prestigious award in Hollywood. AMC Theaters even issued a cold statement to make sure everyone knew about their decision:

"For more than a decade, movie-lovers have enjoyed the AMC Best Picture Showcase to catch up on the nominated films that played at AMC throughout the prior year. This year, Academy members nominated a film that was never licensed to AMC to play in our theatres. As such, it is not included in the AMC Best Picture Showcase."

It should be noted that the reason AMC isn't licensed to play Roma is because they didn't want to adhere to Netflix's rules for screening the film in theaters. But even so, the chain has consistently been unhappy with Netflix's theatrical distribution tactics, and even if they were allowed to play it, there's no indication that they would even want to. It feels like a convenient excuse for AMC Theatres to take another jab at Netflix.

Regal Cinemas wasn't quite as proud about their exclusion of Roma, but they simply just didn't include the title in their press release announcing the rest of the Best Picture nominees in their mini film festival. Apparently Cinemark will also keep Roma from playing in their Oscars week showcase of movies too, but they haven't released an official statement about the matter.

Honestly, this is just turning into a sad, petty feud. Netflix is only getting bigger, and clearly they're going to keep being key players during awards season. The fact that Roma was one of the most nominated films throughout this entire awards season shows that they know what they're doing. AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas need to start accepting that the film distribution game is changing and it's no reason to shun a movie simply because it came from their sworn enemy.

The good news is that audiences won't have a hard time seeing Roma before the Oscars. It's currently available to stream on Netflix and is still playing at other theaters around the country.

Otherwise, Regal Cinemas will run their Best Picture showcase from February 15 – February 24 with tickets on sale starting January 23. Meanwhile, AMC Theatres runs their Best Picture showcase on February 16 and February 23, but tickets for the films go on sale starting January 24. So if you still need to see Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, Green Book, A Star Is Born or Vice, that'll be your best bet.