Producing : It’s Official: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros. in Deal Valued at $82.7 Billion by Amanda Toney

Hate it, I personally don't like Netflix, I wanted to make my show for Warner Bros. This news hit me like a bullet.

Amanda Toney Couldn't care less really. The continued convergence of a cartel to a monopoly since the Paramount Decrees were set aside in 2020.

The more and more I'm reading about the acquisition, I don't like it, Amanda Toney. I like that Netflix said it expects to maintain the current operations of Warner Bros. “including theatrical releases for films," but I don't like the idea of shorter theatrical release windows.

Personally, I think it's a bit of a sad move and just sort of a sign of Hollywood eating itself. I mean on one hand, shortening release windows would allow more movies to be in theatres at once, but on the other hand, what's the point of that if the movies aren't worth seeing in theatres? This year, I only saw two films in the theatre, Frankenstein and Five Nights at Freddy's 2(both are excellent btw) and that was because they had the gravitas and the level of immersion that can only be brought to life with theatre-grade equipment(imo). Everything else though seemed not necessarily worth it as stuff like the sound design, the cinematography and visual effects didn't seem worth it to see in theatres.

Who cares who owns what? Warner Brothers had the DC Universe and couldn't make it work while Netflix made a $300M monstrosity The Electric State which didn't seem to wow anybody although, at this time, I don't know if it did the business Netflix was hoping it was going to do. I didn't subscribe to Netflix just to watch that. Netflix also seemed to swing and miss with Zac Snyder's Rebel Moon. They're spending $82.7B on the deal...if they keep making crap, it won't matter what they do. No one in either camp seems to know how to create great entertainment at a consistent level.

“The potential sale of WBD does not sit well with me” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/warner-bros-fou...

All signs point to this being challenged. It must pass muster through an administration and regulatory agencies that are so far casting a jaundiced eye on the merger. In particular, the Department of Justice focuses a microscope on it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/12/05/warner-bros-discove...

E Langley That would be the same DOJ that of its own accord set aside the Paramount Decrees in 2020, giving its defacto blessing to the studios to re-institute cartel and monopolistic practices - which it has been tolerating ever since.

Hardly its own accord. Leveraged. Paramount settled a $16 million lawsuit with President Trump over a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris, removing a major hurdle for the deal.

And 10 years later they'll all be broken up by the government ...

E Langley If you are referring to the DOJ setting aside the Paramount Decrees, you are incorrect. They did this in 2020. It was part of a part of an internal program at DOJ, an ongoing review process that vacates RICO and antitrust orders the DOJ considers no longer relevant. The studios had nothing to do with it and the only parties other than the DOJ itself to speak to it in court were the association of independent cinema owners. Trust me, I wish the studios and networks were behind it - they weren't and even the attorneys involved had no connection to the studios that would imply influence. I looked. Hard.

It must be coincidence the administration held the lawsuit over Paramount's head. A miracle! The merger through when Paramount paid out the 16 mil and made concessions in a "pay-for-play."

This is the widely held understanding. Not a buncha blah-blah-blah.

At first, it was quite exciting to learn of this because of how things are shifting and changing - plus, there is no denying the influence and success of Netflix. However, there is something special about the cinema experience so, with shorter release windows before moving to the streaming platform, would anyone then bother going to the cinema?

Movie theaters are going the way of the pay telephone. Soon you may find one or still around, but they'll be damaged beyond being useful anymore. Raising prices on everything from tickets to concessions is also not the way to go. The more you raise prices, the more incentive you give your customers to just stay home and find something to watch on streaming. Let's face it, if have a tv that's 50 inches or over in your bedroom or living room, you are pretty much proportionately enjoying the cinematic experience without the regular annoyances of a general audience that can be rude, inconsiderate and in the worst possible scenario; violent.

I really don't see how lowering costs would improve traffic except for an even more unruly crowd that think, for some reason, their interruptions are why people go to the movies in the first place. Dignity and a respect for others has been replaced by boorish, selfish behavior which has no place in a civilized society. Many Left leaning politicians push this behavior and there are enough ignorant, primitive humans out there that will blindly support them. Death by stupidity..It is a common theme through history that impacts every facet of society and is universal in it's ultimate results.

Netflix has amassed enough money to buy Warner Brothers, with even the whole DC world at it's disposal, can't make things work out. Netflix isn't without it's failures given the overall lackluster impact of the $300M budgeted The Electric State and the horribly unoriginal Star Wars ripoff, Rebel Moon. The basic fact of the matter is that any project needs to bring in revenue and must be able to turn its budget into profit. Only brutally honest accounting can do that. Hollywood used to be able to fudge numbers and cook books to their advantage because cash is easy to manipulate. I don't really know how one equates minutes watched to revenue when the numbers of any particular room watching content could range from 1-10 people.

Will the Netflix-Warner Brother's merger hurt the film industry? Hard to say without knowing the specifics of what the structure will be moving forward. The simple fact is, if you keep producing crap, no matter how well intended it was meant to be, the basic consumer won't watch it and in the end, the consumer, no matter where they watch their entertainment, must be entertained.

The Entertainment Industry doesn't really get any more complicated than that. Its purpose in in it's name! Entertainment! If you focus on that, you'll be successful no matter how the industry changes. Merging two specific groups of idiots won't make things more entertaining unless you like watching car accidents on the side of the road.

As of yesterday, Paramount is making a hostile takeover bid. So WB might not get it in the end...

Philip David Lee Theatrical has fallen to ~30% of it's highest average. But the bleating you hear about revenues is from people who are used to making WILD profits from product they don't pay for, who are now just making good profits from product they don't pay for. Producers should keep in mind that theaters are not film industry people per se. They are real estate investors & landlords who make money on very short rentals of a room and screen, and on unbelievable markups on concession food. They are, at the end of the day quite profitable and won't be going anywhere soon.