Ricky Gervais explains why he ditched theaters for Netflix to release his new movie

Ricky Gervais says he "didn't hesitate" to choose Netflix over a traditional theatrical release for his latest movie.

Gervais recently talked to Business Insider about his release strategy for "David Brent: Life on the Road," his new musical mockumentary that follows the plight of his David Brent character from the UK's "The Office" as he self-finances a last-ditch attempt to become a touring rock star.

Though "Life on the Road" premiered in theaters this summer in the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, Gervais orchestrated a deal with Netflix to release the film exclusively on the streaming service in all other countries on February 10, 2017.

He said he pushed for the film to be on Netflix, which previously put out his series "Derek," because of how dismal the prospects of an indie film's theatrical success can be nowadays, even for one featuring Hollywood stars.

"It's a lot of work, a lot of advertisement, and a lot of money you've got to make back with a sort of cult film in the cinema," Gervais said. "It's a very dangerous game. And everyone was telling me, 'Oh, it will do really well.' But I didn't hesitate because there are people that are bigger stars than me bombing at the box office every day.

"It was actually a studio film, and it had distribution," he continued. "But I persuaded Netflix to come along and buy everyone out, like a rich uncle."

Gervais said Netflix's massive audience size was a key factor in his decision, and he believes the streaming service is likely the optimal way to get the most possible viewers to watch a film like "Life on the Road."

"More people will see it than in the cinema," he said. "If you think about it, if a film takes $100 million at the box office, 10 million people went to see it. Netflix has 75 million subscribers. They might as well watch it, and they don't have to watch it that weekend either. They could watch it in a year."

In "Life on the Road," David Brent tours with a session band called Foregone Conclusion. In real life, Gervais and the group have played sold-out shows in Europe, performing songs from the film's soundtrack, which has a humorous accompanying songbook out Tuesday.

Gervais feels that the impending Netflix premiere and its potentially vast reach will allow him to take his David Brent shows to the US and around the world.

"It's great artistically, and it makes great business sense," he said of taking the film to Netflix. "And it will allow us to play gigs over there. I can't recommend it enough."

Buy "The David Brent Songbook" on Amazon (out November 8).