Netflix and Nu Image/Millennium Films announce a long-term agreement through which first-run theatrical films distributed by the Nu Image/Millennium Group will be licensed to Netflix for streaming over the Internet to its subscribers during the "pay TV window." Historically, these films have been licensed to premium TV channels.

The deal underscores how Netflix is moving rapidly to expand both the variety and timeliness of movies and TV episodes available to be watched instantly by its members. The companies said they expect five to 10 theatrical films per year to flow to Netflix through the agreement, in general just a few months after their release on DVD.

Nu Image and Millennium Films are best known for big budget action/thriller movies including: "The Expendables," "John Rambo," "Brooklyn's Finest," "Righteous Kill," "16 Blocks" and "Black Dahlia."

Among the first films to be covered under the deal is Dito Monteil's 2011 scheduled release "Son of No One," a crime drama starring Channing Tatum, Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Tracy Morgan, Ray Liotta and Juliette Bincoche about a young cop assigned to the working class Queens neighborhood in which he grew up and the discovery of a horrible family secret. Also slated for Netflix via the new agreement is 2011's scheduled "Elephant White," starring Academy Award® nominee Djimon Hounsou and Golden Globe winner Kevin Bacon in a drama about a contract killer who gets swept up in the dangerous business of white slave traders in Thailand.

The deal was negotiated by David Sobieraj, president of domestic video and television for Nu Image/Millennium Films, and Robert Kyncl, vice president of content acquisition for Netflix.