Netflix hint at more “consumer friendly” releases of Warner Bros movies following acquisition
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has spoken about their purchase of Warner Bros Discovery and given insight into what the release window of productions will look like in the future.
Earlier today (December 5th), Netflix released a public statement that confirmed an agreement had been reached to acquire the historic film company for $72 billion. As part of the deal, they have also acquired HBO Max and HBO.
Netflix beat competition from huge entertainment rivals Paramount Skydance and Comcast to Warner Bros Discovery, which was placed on the market in October.
Per Variety, Sarandos addressed the purchase on a call with investors and press on December 5th, during which he responded to concerns regarding cinematic releases of future Warner Bros movies.
“It’s not like we have this opposition to movies into theaters,” he said of his company’s stance, after highlighting 30 films made by Netflix have been released in cinemas in 2025.
Sarandos elaborated, “My pushback has been mostly in the fact of the long exclusive windows, which we don’t really think are that consumer friendly, but when we talk about keeping HBO operating, largely as it is, that also includes their output movie deal with Warner Bros, which includes a life cycle that starts in the movie theater, which we’re going to continue to support.”
Sarandos then revealed that he would expect some change in the future, but maintained it would be gradual and not overnight, stating, “I think, over time, the windows will evolve to be much more consumer friendly, to be able to meet the audience where they are quicker…”
He added, “I’d say right now, you should count on everything that is planned on going to the theater through Warner Bros will continue to go to the theaters through Warner Bros, and Netflix movies will take the same strides they have, which is, some of them do have a short run in the theater beforehand. But our primary goal is to bring first-run movies to our members, because that’s what they’re looking for.”
A current example of Netflix’s approach to theatrical releases is Jay Kelly, which arrived on the streaming platform on December 5th. The Noah Baumbach-directed film, starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler, previously arrived in a limited number of cinemas on November 14th.
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