Whereas the trade is occupied with the battle between Netflix and Paramount Photos for Warner Bros., the streaming big reaffirms its theatrical launch plans for future WB motion pictures. It was formally confirmed three days in the past that Netflix can be shopping for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. in a multi-billion-dollar deal, earlier than Paramount launched a hostile takeover bid at the moment (December 8).
Warner Bros. will assessment Paramount’s new supply and announce its determination inside 10 enterprise days. As Netflix nonetheless desires its deal to undergo, its co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters have commented to assuage one main concern about what the streaming big’s acquisition of the legacy Hollywood studio would imply, regarding theatrical launch plans.
Deadline reviews that the Netflix executives joined a Wall Avenue name at the moment, the place Sarandos assured them that Netflix would proceed to offer would-be Warner Bros. motion pictures conventional theatrical releases. “On this transaction, we decide up three enterprise we’re not at the moment in,” stated Sarandos. “One among them is a movement image studio with a theatrical distribution machine.“
“We’re deeply dedicated to releasing these motion pictures precisely the best way they’d launch these motion pictures at the moment,” stated Sarandos. “All three of those new companies [theatrical, TV production, and HBO], we need to preserve working largely as they’re. […] When this deal closes, we’re in that enterprise [theatrical]. And we will do it.“
Sarandos is making a big assertion, as Netflix has traditionally solely completed the naked minimal by way of theatrical rollouts, usually releasing its largest motion pictures in cinemas for round two weeks earlier than they drop on the streaming platform. Primarily, this makes titles together with Frankenstein, Jay Kelly, and A Home of Dynamite eligible for awards consideration.
Amid the field workplace wrestle total in recent times, Warner Bros. tasks have been a serious assist to the theatrical trade, because the studio noticed a historic streak of field workplace hits this summer season. Two of its motion pictures, Sinners and Weapons, made the Golden Globes nominees checklist this morning for Cinematic and Field Workplace Achievement. In whole, WB grossed greater than $4 billion worldwide in 2025.
Sarandos additionally addressed this issue, saying: “If we did this deal 24 months in the past, all these motion pictures we noticed this yr achieve this properly for Warner Bros, would have been launched in the identical manner in theaters. I am speaking about Minecraft, I am speaking about Superman, I am speaking about Weapons, I am speaking about Sinners.“
Sarandos finalized this by saying: “These motion pictures will likely be launched on Netflix by way of theaters the best way Warner Bros did it earlier than, however with the Warner Bros working entity. It’s actually necessary the best way they create, and the best way they drive worth. We did not purchase this firm to destroy that worth.“
- based
-
January 16, 2007
- founders
-
Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph