The whole theaters vs. Netflix thing re Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” has taken an interesting turn. “The Irishman” will play for one month at Broadway’s Belasco Theater, which will be retrofitted for showing the movie.

Theater chains have balked at showing Netflix and Amazon movies in their theaters because of the short windows before the movies are played on their TV platforms. There is still no list of theaters for “The Irishman,” which will be up for many Oscars and is highly anticipated in New York, of all places.

Without the Ziegfeld Theater (still can’t believe it’s a catering hall– the owners should drowned in stale popcorn) New York doesn’t have a “movie palace” to debut important films.

The Belasco, owned by the Shuberts, is a grand palace that seats 1,000 people. Bryan Cranston in “Network” just played there. The theater has a long, storied history. Hit shows have included the ridiculous–“Oh Calcutta!” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” — to the sublime, like Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies” and and the amazing 1997 production of “A Doll’s House” with Janet McTeer.

Netflix will run “The Irishman” there from November 1st to December 1st, which is a few days longer than their original planned theater run (it was supposed to end November 27).

The Belasco is right next door to the great Cafe Un, Deux, Troi aka One, Two, Three. Last spring I was sitting in the window having dinner when Tony Goldwyn popped up during “Network”– it’s part of the show. Make your reservation now! Ask for Jose.

This isn’t a great season for Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Wasn’t it only yesterday that they commanded the Oscars with “The Shape of Water” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”? Why yes, it was 2017.

All that must seem like a long time ago to the “literary” arm of what was 20th Century Fox. Back then, in the peculiar cyclical world of movie making and releasing, Fox Searchlight was protected by their bosses if they had an off year.

But this year, Fox Searchlight is owned by Disney, which makes comic book movies, cartoon movies, and science fiction movies. Or a combination of all those things. They aren’t good at making movies with people in them, which is how Fox Searchlight survived the purchase of Fox by Disney.

But this weekend, Fox Searchlight’s “Lucy in the Sky,” starring Oscar winner Natalie Portman, made just $55,000 at 37 theaters. Panned by critics, “Lucy” is DOA. There is no support for it.

FS also has “Ready or Not,” a horror thriller (I think, I’ve never seen it) in theaters. It’s made $28 million over 7 weeks, which is pretty good since it only cost $6 million. And it’s made $22 million abroad so far with more countries to go.

Coming up next are two tricky releases. The first is “Jojo Rabbit,” a satire about Hitler and the Nazis. Critics (not me) were keen on it, and give it a 79. “Jojo,” starring Scarlett Johansson and two child actors, is directed by the very ‘in’ Taika Waititi. But it’s a roll of the dice. What film festivals made adore, the public may be surprised by. To me, it was a daring idea that didn’t work. It’s hard to imagine audiences in the Northeast, in heavily Jewish areas, appreciating it. But I could be wrong, and maybe “Jojo Rabbit” will hit a bullseye.

Then there’s Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life.” Malick was once a cutting edge director. His “Days of Heaven” is one of my favorite films of all time. But his recent films, from “Tree of Life” to “Knight of Cups” and “To the Wonder” have been incredibly self-indulgent, sleep-inducing, and money losers. Plus, Malick hides from the public, refuses to do publicity, doesn’t do interviews or come to premieres. I’ll say this: that FS chiefs Nancy Utley and Steve Gilula still show faith in him is to their credit. They love good films and auteurs.

But will that love keep them alive in Disney’s world of blockbusters? The pair does have a really terrific comedy in Armando Iannucci’s “Personal History of David Copperfield.” It won’t be released for a few months, but when it does– I sure hope it gets Disney-esque treatment. That’s a film that will turn them around, and fast.

Warner Bros. can breathe some big sighs of relief. “Joker” has broken the record for October movie openings with $93.5 million. No one got hurt. It’s the fourth highest opening weekend for an R rated movie.

But “Joker” falls short of the $100 million it was hyped to achieve. Big deal. After a season of tough showings including “The Goldfinch,” Todd Phillips’ film is a ripping success. Joaquin Phoenix is guaranteed an Oscar nomination.

It’s not easy getting to $100 million. Look at “Hustlers,” which will arrive there later this week but not as fast as one might have thought a month ago.

Meanwhile, “Downton Abbey” has hit $73 million, still has a lot of life to it, and has shown that the audience is there for smart, adult movies and movies derived from higher end TV shows. Jon Hamm said No to a “Mad Men” movie, but plenty of other TV shows’ creators are probably scrambling to figure out a big screen revival.

Warner Bros. “Joker” made $26.6 million Friday night, adding it to $13.3 million from Thursday previews. The total is now $39.9 million. This should be a $92 million weekend for Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck. He isn’t lonely anymore!

At the other end of the box office spectrum is Fox Searchlight’s “Lucy in the Sky,” starring Natalie Portman as an astronaut who has a lot of personal problems. The film is DOA with just $19,000 at 37 theatres in its opening. That’s just $514 per theater. It’s lonely in space!

For Fox Searchlight, “Lucy” is now lost in space, gone, and not coming back. Out of orbit, etc. They are now depending on “Jojo Rabbit” to get them somewhere, into box office heather or even some Oscar action. I don’t see it, maybe I’m wrong. It’s time to rev up “David Copperfield,” their one shot at a film everyone could like and embrace.

Meantime, their sister studio, “big” Fox, is dealing with “Ad Astra,” another space opera, and the fat lady singing. It’s over. Up to $40 million today. Another “First Man” situation. It’s possible that the audience has no patience for serious space drama after “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” and so on. Who needs contemplative without phasers on?