Matt Damon reveals Netflix's shift to accomodate phone-distracted viewers

Matt Damon has said Netflix is increasingly asking filmmakers to repeat plot points in dialogue to accommodate viewers who are distracted while watching films at home.

Speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience alongside Ben Affleck to promote their new Netflix film The Rip, Damon discussed how viewing habits have shifted away from cinemas and how that change is influencing storytelling. He contrasted the immersive experience of seeing a film in a theatre with watching at home, where attention is often divided. “You’re watching in a room, the lights are on, other shit’s going on, the kids are running around, the dogs are running around, whatever it is,” he said.

Damon explained that this reduced level of focus is now shaping how streaming platforms approach filmmaking. Referring to the traditional structure of action films, he said studios once relied on three major set pieces spread across the story, building towards a large-scale finale. According to Damon, Netflix now pushes for immediate spectacle to prevent viewers from switching off. “Now, [Netflix is] like, ‘Can we get a big one in the first five minutes?’ We want people to stay tuned in,” he said.

He added that the platform also favours repeated exposition. “And it wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue because people are on their phones while they’re watching.” Damon acknowledged the commercial logic behind the approach but expressed concern about its creative impact, saying, “It’s going to really start to infringe on how we’re telling these stories.”

Affleck agreed that exceptions still exist, pointing to recent projects that succeeded without relying on such techniques. Damon conceded those examples feel rare, adding, “I hope it’s not.”

Despite the challenges posed by streaming, Affleck said he does not view the shift as an existential threat to cinema, arguing audiences will continue to seek out theatrical experiences. For The Rip, produced through their company Artists Equity, the pair negotiated a deal with Netflix that includes performance-based bonuses for crew members, marking a departure from the streamer’s standard upfront payment model.