Arthouse streaming platform MUBI lost over 200,000 subscribers following a PR controversy that tainted the website’s reputation in 2025.
MUBI was involved in a $100,000 investment agreement with Sequoia Capital Investment, a venture capital firm that was connected to the Israeli military.
The platform, known for funding (and welcoming to its catalogue) independent and foreign films, has gained popularity over the last few years for its varied, diverse collection of movies.
On Friday, MUBI’s CEO Efe Cakarel opened up about the consequences of the funding, stating that the operation caused a massive debate and loss for the company.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Cakarel specified that the platform lost roughly 200,000 subscribers, bringing the number of subscribers to 1.2 million.
The difficult situation was also worsened by the acquisition of ‘Die, My Love’, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, which cost MUBI $24 million but flopped at the box office, generating huge losses.
“Losing subscribers and growth slowing down – it was all very real,” Cakarel admitted to the WSJ.
Nonetheless, the CEO continued to justify MUBI’s collaboration with Sequoia, stating that it was a “necessary” move to “keep backing ambitious cinema”.
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A controversy with bitter results
Last summer, MUBI found itself in hot water after the Sequoia investment announcement.
Sequoia was found to have invested in an Israeli military start up called Kela.
After the news broke, MUBI was called out as a supporter of Palestinian genocide in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Consequently, half of MUBI’s staffers signed an open letter asking the company to return the investment and publicly denounce Sequoia.
The arthouse streamer not only denied the relevance of the collaboration, stating that Sequoia was only a minority investor, but also doubled down by announcing that the company had no financial or editorial power over MUBI.
The response to the statement was received with huge backlash.
At the time, MUBI was planning a film festival in Mexico City, which was promptly cancelled.
Moreover, multiple indie filmmakers came forward and signed an open letter requesting MUBI to cut its ties to Sequoia.
The director of Oscar-winning Palestinian documentary ‘No Other Land’ even admitted to have turned down a distribution offer from MUBI, preferring to release the movie independently on VOD.
The new year, however, is looking brighter.
Cakarel announced just last week that MUBI had agreed to a multi-year pact to finance European auteur films, and the platform is also connected to six different movies that will be presented at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
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