Topics: Netflix, Warner Bros, Streaming, Entertainment, Film and TV
Netflix fans aren't happy about its rumored plans for Warner Bros. movies.
Last month, the streaming giant won a bid to buy out Warner Bros. for a reported equity value of $72 billion. Netflix beat Comcast and Paramount Skydance in securing the deal.
The acquisition will happen once Warner Bros. splits into two companies: Streaming & Studios (S&S) and Global Linear Networks (GLN).
S&S comprises Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO, and HBO Max, as well as its legendary film and television libraries, the company explained back in June.
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Meanwhile, GLN includes premier entertainment, as well as sports and news television brands around the world.
Netflix is to acquire the S&S division of the American entertainment company, which is behind the hit franchises Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and the DC Universe.
In the wake of Netflix winning the bidding war, the streamer is reportedly looking to only release new Warner Bros. movies in cinemas for 17 days before adding them to Netflix.
Sources who spoke to Deadline said that 'Netflix have been proponents of a 17-day window, which would steamroll the theatrical business, while circuits such as AMC believe the line needs to be held around 45 days'.
This could reportedly affect upcoming movies such as Man of Tomorrow, The Batman: Part 2, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, and The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said: “There’s been a lot of talk about theatrical distribution, so we want to set the record straight: we are 100 percent committed to releasing Warner Bros. films in theaters with industry-standard windows.”
Film fans have expressed their concerns online in the wake of the reports. One person penned on X: "The Batman Part 2 being in theaters for 17 days before hitting Netflix doesn’t sound real. Netflix is going to kill cinema."
A second said: "Based on the deal theatres have with studios to share profits, theatres will make basically no money on WB films because they're not playing exclusively long enough. You should be very concerned about your local cineplex."
"17 DAYS IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH, NETFLIX," raged another. A different person agreed: "Not a fan of this decision. Not a fan at all."
"RIP to the Cinema," added somebody else.
Some famous faces have weighed in on the pending acquisition as well, including James Bond alum Pierce Brosnan.
Brosnan said the deal was 'unsettling', adding: "To have one dominant force that colours what we see, how we see it and where we see it is a change that doesn’t feel culturally right.
"I love cinema and I’ve seen cinemas evaporate from the landscape where I live in California, and here in London. Netflix has given me employment, but you have to be diligent and ask yourself: how do you now traverse these waters without getting mangled and embittered by it?"
UNILAD has contacted Netflix for comment.
