Netflix Just Lost One of Its Original Movies

Another movie marketed as a Netflix original movie is leaving the streaming platform after three years. The Crew, a French crime drama directed by Julien Leclerq, will leave the platform on Monday, Nov. 15.Netflix’s decision to drop the movie now comes as a surprise since Leclerq used characters from The Crew in his Netflix original series Ganglands. Netflix even created a “Ganglands collection” that included The Crew after the series was released in September.

The Crew, also known as Braqueurs in France, centers on a heist crew led by Tanis Zeri, played by Sami Bouajilam, whose life as a career criminal is put in jeopardy after his younger brother makes a major mistake during a height. They get tied up with a drug gang, who force them to steal a heroin shipment. The main cast also includes Guillaume Gouix, Toussef Hajdi, and Kaaris.

The movie hit theaters in France in 2016 and was released on Netflix on Nov. 15, 2018, meaning subscribers had exactly three years to watch it. Unlike big projects like Red Notice, Netflix didn’t have any financial interest in the production of The Crew. It was only marketed as a Netflix original because the streamer had exclusive streaming rights to it and licensed the movie for a three-year period.

Although it is very rare for a Netflix original to leave, What’s On Netflix notes that it does happen from time to time. Other Netflix originals have left before, but they notably do not usually show up on other streaming platforms. It is surprising that Netflix decided to not renew the deal for The Crew, especially since Ganglands was just released. However, Ganglands has not been renewed for a second season yet.

Netflix also had a naming conundrum with The Crew. Comedian Kevin James’ latest sitcom was also called The Crew. Although that show was canceled after one season, Netflix might not have been too thrilled with the idea of two titles with the same name on the platform. Netflix previously changed the name of a movie when it was released on the platform just because it was too similar to Red Notice, so this is definitely a problem they don’t like to have.