Netflix will lose 'Hunger Games', other popular movies by end of September 2015

Netflix will end its five-year contract with Epix by the end of September this year to produce more original content rather than continue its movie streaming services. The online streaming service said on its website on Sunday that its subscribers will have to say goodbye to popular movies like “The Hunger Games” and “World War Z” by October.

“While many of these movies are popular, they are also widely available on cable and other subscription platforms at the same time as they are on Netflix. Through our original films and some innovative licensing arrangements with the movie studios, we are aiming to build a better movie experience for you,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, in their company blog.

Epix also sealed a content streaming agreement with Amazon in 2012, Bloomberg reported. Aside from Amazon, Netflix has been competing with other distributors that also provide a library of the same popular movies.

With its goal to expand its services worldwide by the end of 2016, Netflix will offer its audience exclusive films and series that can attract new subscribers and enable it to compete for awards. Starting next year, it will have exclusive rights on showing the films of Walt Disney Co. at the same time or at least right after they are shown in the movie houses. They are also looking into sealing agreements with big film industries to develop its own shows. In fact, it disclosed that in June, Netflix will produce a satirical film titled “War Machine” where Brad Pitt will star as a U.S. General.

In the past couple of years, Netflix has started releasing its own original series such as the “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black” with ratings 4.5 and 4.4 respectively. The highest rated series is Marvel’s “Daredevil” which has earned the top spot in just a month and a half after its release.

While the move may be a surprising one, it may actually be a calculated decision on the part of Netflix. According to BBC, Forrester analyst Jim Nail believes that the decision was not impulsive but rather targeted towards the right consumers. Meanwhile, Epix stated later on Sunday that it will be placing its library of content to Hulu right after its contract ends with Netflix.