Helen Mirren channels Hollywood's complicated relationship with Netflix by declaring, 'I love Netflix, but f--- Netflix'

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• Actress Helen Mirren said "I love Netflix, but f--- Netflix" at CinemaCon on Tuesday, which drew applause from the crowd of theater owners.
• Tensions between Netflix and traditional Hollywood have been heightened recently.
• On Tuesday, Variety reported that the Department of Justice sent a letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, warning the Academy against any rule changes that could hurt Netflix's chances at the Oscars.

Actress Helen Mirren went after Netflix in front of a crowd of movie-theater owners on Tuesday.

"I love Netflix, but f--- Netflix," Mirren said at the movie exhibitor convention CinemaCon while promoting her Warner Bros. movie, "The Good Liar," which comes to theaters in November. Mirren drew roaring applause from the audience. "There is nothing like sitting in the cinema," she continued.

READ MORE: The Justice Department warned the Oscars against rule changes that could hurt Netflix

Netflix has faced pushback throughout Hollywood and the film industry, most notably when it pulled out of the Cannes Film Festival last year after a rule change banned any films without a theatrical distribution in France. It is skipping Cannes again this year.

Tensions between Netflix and traditional Hollywood have made headlines recently. On Tuesday, Variety reported that the Department of Justice sent a letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, warning the Academy against any rule changes that could hurt Netflix's chances at the Oscars.

"In the event that the Academy - an association that includes multiple competitors in its membership - establishes certain eligibility requirements for the Oscars that eliminate competition without procompetitive justification, such conduct may raise antitrust concerns," the letter said, according to Variety.

Veteran filmmaker Steven Spielberg was expected to lead a campaign at the meeting to change Oscars rules to limit participation from streaming services like Netflix, Indiewire reported last month.