In the past year, Netflix announced the permanent discontinuation of many popular network movies and shows, such as Friends, from the streaming service. This news has left many angry users concerned and confused. The announcement begs the question: if Netflix pulls all this content, won't it be fated to become just another TV channel?
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Some argue that becoming another regular TV channel is the inevitable fate of Netflix, but if you choose to see the glass half full, you'll realize that the choice to focus energy and resources on a new strategy does have its advantages, including an ability to invest in some pretty incredible original programming!
Scouting for international content has brought us brilliant nail-biting thrillers like Money Heist and ELITE. And the in-house production of unique series and movies gave us instant hits like To All The Boys I've Loved Before, Bird Box, and YOU.
Needless to say, Netflix set the bar insanely high for itself in 2018, and it appears it isn't stopping anytime soon.
In 2019 Netflix will be dropping more sure-to-be-instant hits. If you're curious about all the most talked-about Netflix original movies coming in the first half of 2019, read on!
1. Lionheart
Release date: January 4th
Recently released Lionheart is getting a lot of buzz around the internet because it's Netflix's first-ever Nigerian original film. This inspirational film tells the story of a woman who is trying to make it in a male-dominated world.
2. Close
Release date: January 15th
This show is for fans of Netflix's The Bodyguard. The action thriller follows a bodyguard who is hired to protect a rich young heiress. Neither party is keen on the arrangement until a violent kidnap forces them to go on the run.
3. IO
Release date: January 18th
Viewers are itching for more dystopian future thrillers like Bird Box and A Quiet Place. Thankfully, post-apocalyptic masterpiece, IO, is about to drop on Netflix. This one tells the story of a young girl who finds herself one of humanity's few survivors.
4. Velvet Buzzsaw
Release date: February 1st
Set in the contemporary art world scene in Los Angeles and starring A-List celeb Jake Gyllenhaal, Velvet Buzzsaw is the newest horror movie coming Netflix Canada; it has the internet buzzing with interest. The official Youtube trailer alone has over 2 million views.
5. Triple Frontier
Release date: March 15th
This heist film is guaranteed to be action packed. Starring Ben Affleck, the story follows five Special Forces operatives who reunite to plan a heist in a sparsely populated, multi-border zone of South America.
6. Someone Great
Release date: TBA April
@hereisginaAfter Netflix's incredible year of RomCom hits such as To All The Boys I've Loved Before, you'd suspect that the streaming giant would invest in this genre in 2019. Someone Great starring Gina Rodriguez is part of this endeavour. She plays a newly-single girl who plans one last visit to New York City before starting her dream job.
7. The Perfect Date
Release date: Spring TBA
Heartthrob Noah Centineo returns to star in yet another Netflix romantic comedy. No official trailer is out yet, but word is already circulating the internet that this one is going to be hilarious and heart warming. I would expect nothing less from a Netflix Original RomCom.
8. Wine Country
Release date: Spring TBA
This Netflix comedy is basically a reunion of all your favourite female SNL stars, including Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, and Ana Gasteyer. It will also be Poehler's directorial debut.
9. Murder Mystery
Release date: TBA Spring 2019
Murder Mystery stars Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler as a couple who take a long-awaited European vacation and somehow become entangled in a mysterious billionaire's business along the way. This movie is highly anticipated especially for Montrealers as most of the film was shot around the city last summer!
Stay tuned for more Netflix news.
