OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Some local theater owners are concerned as streaming services look to gain more power in the film industry, worrying it could take more movies directly to your home, instead of the big screen.
Within days of Netflix making a bid to buyout a large part of Warner Bros., Paramount launched a hostile takeover for the entire company.
“I think that Netflix taking over a major studio like Warner Brothers could threaten something like the theatrical system,” said Elijah Hoefer, Film Streams director of programming.
Film Streams is a local nonprofit theater. This year has been their best in ticketing and sales since the COVID-19 pandemic.
One thing they continue to do, is give you something you can’t get at home: early access to films — even the ones on streaming services.
“Luckily we’ve been able to screen these films; and you know, I don’t know if going forward, if they intend on still doing this model, or you know how that looks if they acquire a lot of the different properties that Warner Brothers has,” Elijah said.
They’re also providing more variety in the movies they screen.
“One thing that we’ve seen that really drives people out to the theaters is seeing classics and seeing repertory cinema,” he told First Alert 6.
Each weekend they have “Weekend Essentials,” often taking advantage of the nostalgia movie-goers want.
“I’ll never forget that as a young girl, going to see ‘The Sound of Music’ in the theater. Maybe a lot of younger people aren’t going to have that experience of watching something together and seeing people’s reactions communally in a room,” said Colleen Johnson, an Omaha resident and Film Streams member.
Katie Hueter, a mother, agreed.
“Mostly I like to go to the movies as a family. It’s something that we can kind of experience together,” she said.
And Film Streams knows that connection is what will keep theaters full as streaming tries to keep audiences at home.
“Just as any other threat to movie-going throughout history has presented itself, I think cinemas always persist, and they will always be that third space that we can come and enjoy together,” said Elijah.
No matter if Netflix or Paramount win the bidding war for Warner Bros., they might run into an issue if the Trump administration views a potential merger as a violation of anti-monopoly laws.
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