Warner Bros. Discovery is exploring a major distribution deal with Netflix, potentially sending future Warner, New Line, and DC films to the streamer shortly after they leave theaters. This move has sent shockwaves through the industry, particularly angering theater owners who see it as a direct threat to the traditional theatrical "window."
While this model could guarantee huge paydays for the studio, it represents a seismic shift in how we watch major films. The future of the big-screen experience is suddenly up for debate.
Read more here: https://www.indiewire.com/news/business/warner-bros-discovery-netflix-th...
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I don't think short theatrical windows are good for theaters, the industry, and moviegoers, Sam Rivera. Some people can't see a movie in theaters on opening weekend, the first week, etc.
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Maurice Vaughan Well, WB is responding to the market, and the market increasingly prefers streaming over cinemas. Here's a in interesting quote from the article: "In speaking with Congress, Cinema United and CEO Michael O’Leary argued that a Netflix-WBD merger would... would lead to fewer movies being made, less diversity of those films, more leverage from the studios over theaters, and more job losses..." Which are all blatant lies. When the Paramount Decrees were set aside in 2020, resulting in allowing the major studios to se-institute monopolistic controls on theaters, no major cinema chain opposed it. Only a group of small independent cinema owners opposed it. That's because major studio controls allow the creation of LESS movies at HIGHER prices to the public, and the cinemas are in on it. Now they cry in advance - from my perspective, what goes around comes around.
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the shorter theatrical windows argument/idea is especially befuddling given the 3 original movies (Sinners, Weapons, OBAA) that aren't franchise IP/reboots/sequels to brigade the global box office in 2025 were all WB movies that opened strong then caught massive word of mouth boosts.
Sinners in it's 4th week made $32M which was about the same total gross as movies like Caught Stealing (Sony), Novocaine (Paramount), Wolfman (Blumhouse), Warfare (A24) made in their entire theatrical runs (many of which were much too short).
So WB has clearly been doing something right!
as a consumer, a lot of people don't have time to go see a movie in a limited 2-week window, unless by chance, but if they keep hearing good things about it, they can probably make time to go see it within a month. shorter theatrical windows only really rewards the most rabid movie goers. regular people get timed out. which is bad for everyone. theaters get less unique visitors, viewers get worse cinematic experiences by watching at home, film discourse shrinks bc viewing habits are fractured by algorithms.