Let’s Talk…Netflix + Warner Brothers Studios
This past Friday, the big news broke: Netflix is in a 83 billion dollar bidding war to absorb Warner Bros. Discovery studios. You heard right. The Warner Brother’s that gave us cult classics such as The Shining, Casablanca, and Batman was being bought over by Netflix, the world’s most popular streaming service. Yeah, seems like a HUGE violation of anti-trust laws, but hey what do I know? Now, you guys know that I make a very compelling argument for the theatrical experience, so this piece won’t be anything out of the ordinary. While there are some aspects of at-home streaming that I can get behind, I do believe there’s a better way to go about bringing the beauty of movies to your home than acquiring one of the world’s most revered and classic Hollywood studios. So…let’s talk Netflix and the Warner Brother’s Discovery acquisition.
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We’re entering a time in the world where convenience is king, leading to the heavy decline of critical thinking and cultural awareness. There’s AI technology coming at us from the left, and soulless corporate companies encroaching on the everyday human experience from the right. We’ve seen firsthand how generative AI is impacting creativity. On one side it’s being use to efficiently speed up time consuming post-production processes and on the other it’s taking over the job of the era’s most creative screenwriters. On that same vein, a big streaming company like Netflix wants to ensure that, in order to retain customers, there’s more content on their platforms. By buying out Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix has sent out a big message to the world that the theatrical experience is on its way out and at-home viewing is where we should shift our focus to. I, of course, believe that Netflix is sending a harmful message. Statistically, yes, there are less box office sales and less admissions tickets being sold to movie goers. In 2024, United States domestic sales were down 3.3% (that’s $340,000,000 less) in comparison to the previous year. But a slight decline doesn’t mean that the fulfilling experience of the cinema is dead. People go to the movies to find escape, to build community, and to learn about things they never knew they needed to learn about. So when you take away the key element of self-discovery from the equation of the cinematic experience, what are you left with? You’re left with something that can be streamed onto a box, mounted on your wall at home. Sad.
Whenever I go to the movies, I make it a whole event for myself. I buy my ticket in advance and make sure I get entry into a high demand show with an audience, I dress presentably to go out, I buy a tub of popcorn and thank the AMC employees, I sit through the trailers to see what else I could add to my movies-to-watch list, I laugh with the audience and I cry with the audience, I let the credits roll and mindfully say a “thank you” to everyone’s work on the project, and leave my seat better than I found it. That may sound inconvenient to some when you can just as easily eliminate so many steps and just turn on your TV. The convenience of having it at the tip of your fingers diminishes any excitement and anticipation, in comparison to the outing of going to the cinema. I’ve said it a million times!
In fact here are some of my recent favorite moments I’ve experienced in a theater that created an unreal atmosphere:
The audience reaction to when all the Marvel superhero’s came together at the end of Avengers: Endgame (2018).
The time I had to shuffle between people in an absolute sold out opening day of Oppenheimer (2023).
Seeing Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie up close and personal at my local AMC, promoting Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (2025) and seeing them taking pictures with all of the AMC employees (in fact, I made a few friends this night too!!).
The audience reaction to seeing all the past Spidermen show up during Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
The audience reaction to the IMAX aspect ratio change during Sinners (2025).
The audience reaction to the George Harrison needle drop during Weapons (2025).
Dune: Part 2 (2024). That’s all…just Dune: Part 2.
Experiencing the Interstellar (2014) IMAX re-release alongside the soundtrack that changed my life in full surround sound.
Seeing people from all walks of life dress up for the showings of Barbie (2023).
The light from the projectionist booth reflecting off the red velvet seats at my local AMC.
Notice how “audience reaction to” is one of the biggest common denominators. Reacting with strangers and feeling united for just an hour or two is sometimes the best form of therapy. I just adore leaving a movie theater, either alone or with friends, and seeing the people around talk about how much they loved or hated what they just watched. The price of inconvenience is building community. And that’s what a standard trip to the pictures will help you do.
This merger diminishes a lot of work that writers, producers, directors, and actors put into for the creation of the film. Once a film is finished, it’s promoted globally. This means going from city to city, engaging with press, engaging with fans of your work, and really seeing the fruits of your labor come to life. In fact, my close, personal friend Tom Cruise is credited with the creation of the global movie press tour. Imagine if Matt Reeves’ Batman 2 (coming 2027) gets a Netflix premiere release in addition to a theatrical one. In today’s day and age, many would most likely pick the at-home Netflix premiere. But something that’s shot for the big, silver screen being cast onto your LED screen seems disrespectful to me. Cherish the work that filmmakers have done to bring this story to life on the screens at your local theater. It kills me to know that the average number of days a movie stays in theaters has gone from around 90 days to 30-45 days. Netflix’s whole business model is based upon people staying home and streaming, so this merger will undoubtedly shorten or even diminish completely the number of days a movie stays in theaters.
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So, you get my point. GO TO THE MOVIES! For those that are worried about affordability, I do believe that’s a valid concern. The average price of an admission ticket rose $0.79 from 2024’s Q1 to 2025’s Q1. That’s almost a whole dollar. In this economy, where about two-thirds of the American population lives paycheck to paycheck, every dollar truly matters. As a recently employed college graduate trying to navigate the struggles of paying rent, health insurance, and bills, I get it. There are many peoples’ situations where streaming from home and saving money is the most logical options. But I can’t help but wonder if there’s a more affordable option for everyone to have access to the cinema. Subscription plans like AMC Stubs A-List is a great option for movie lovers, allowing them to see 16 movies a month in any format, discounted movie tickets in the middle of the week, and special perks for students, senior citizens, and first responders already exist. It has helped make movies affordable. As for an original idea, having pay-what-you-can nights and selling community tickets to local non-profits, local schools, and other organizations could be a great way to encourage people to come out to the pictures.
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The Culture Journal rates this decision a 0/5 stars. Sorry, Netflix! If you care for your subscriptions and the true consumers of Hollywood media, take a look at the outrage online. The people are simply not happy! But for real, let’s make movies awesome again. Go out to your local movie theater, your local playhouse, your local galleries and support all the art you can. We’re at a pivotal time where the need to fund art is higher than ever. Art is political, it’s gentle, it’s ethereal, it’s provocative, and it’s what life is made up of. But, could this be the beginning of the end of Hollywood movie magic as we know it? I’d like to hope not.
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P.S. Other things to ask me about that are kind of relevant to this topic:
Apple’s new Apple TV intro being filmed completely using manual processes instead of AI
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (2025) being a Netflix release
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