Netflix reportedly wants to keep movies in theaters for just 17 days after it buys Warner Bros.
In a report from Deadline on the Stranger Thing Season 5 finale, which made $25 million in theaters after it released at the same time theatrically as it did on Netflix, Hollywood was said to be worried about what the streamer considers to be “industry-standard windows” before movies are made available on its platform.
And then the bombshell:
Sources have told Deadline 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.
It’s worth noting this isn’t confirmation that Netflix will settle on a 17-day window for Warner Bros. movies if and when its deal is approved. The theater companies may end up negotiating a lengthy window, perhaps somewhere between 45 days and the 17 days Netflix reportedly is a fan of. But what’s clear is that there will be a great deal of tension within Hollywood as this is all worked out, with Netflix’s priority — as you’d expect — bolstering streaming.
If Netflix does force through a 17-day window, it could affect everything from James Gunn’s DC Universe movie, Man of Tomorrow (July 9, 2027), to The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (December 17, 2027). Then there’s Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part 2, which is due out October 1, 2027, and Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, due out March 26, 2027. How would the likes of James Gunn, Andy Serkis, Matt Reeves and other directors of Warner Bros. movies react to their work having less than three weeks in theaters before hitting Netflix?
The $82.7 billion Netflix / Warner Bros. deal has sparked a tough response from some members of Congress, and it is expected to face significant scrutiny under antitrust laws. Meanwhile, at least one HBO Max subscriber has already sued Netflix, claiming the deal threatens to reduce competition in the U.S. subscription video-on-demand market. Warner Bros.-owned streaming platform HBO Max includes everything from Game of Thrones to Harry Potter, James Gunn’s DC Universe to Barbie, and its content is expected to be added to Netflix if and when the deal goes through.
After its announcement, Netflix sent subscribers an email of reassurance amid concern over potential price rises. The email — reviewed by IGN — promised subscribers that nothing was changing “today,” and confirmed that HBO Max and Netflix would continue to operate separately until the deal closes. It did not rule out future price rises, but did promise that current membership plans would remain in place at least until the deal goes through. As for when that will be, Netflix said it expects to close the transaction in 12-18 months — so, at the earliest December 2026, but it could be as late as summer 2027.
In an investor call attended by IGN, Netflix chief Ted Sarandos struck a confident tone when asked about the deal’s chance of success. “We’re highly confident in the regulatory process,” he said. “This deal is pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, it’s pro-creator, it’s pro-growth.”
As part of the same call, Sarandos said Netflix would continue to release Warner Bros. movies in theaters for now, though expected theatrical release windows to shorten over time to become “more user friendly.”
“We’ve released about 30 films into theaters this year, so it’s not like we have got this opposition to movies into theaters,” Sarandos said. “My pushback has been mostly in the fact of the long, exclusive windows that we don’t think are that user friendly.”
“I wouldn’t look at this as a change in approach for Netflix movies, or for Warner movies for that matter,” Sarandos continued. “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. All those things we’d like to do. But I’d say right now you should count on everything that is planned as going to the theaters through Warner Bros., will continue to go to the theaters through Warner Bros.”
Last month, Rian Johnson expressed frustration at the limited theatrical release of his new Benoit Blanc Netflix film, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Netflix released Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery in theaters on November 26, in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, before releasing it on Netflix itself on December 12. But it only released in “select” theaters, as opposed to nationwide — something that left the Star Wars: The Last Jedi writer and director unimpressed.
Meanwhile, Avatar director James Cameron has said Netflix buying Warner Bros. would be a “disaster.”
“Sorry, Ted [Sarandos], but geez,” he said on The Town podcast. “Sarandos has gone on the record saying theatrical films are dead. ‘Theatrical is dead. Quote, unquote.’” Indeed, Cameron remains unconvinced that Netflix would truly commit to any meaningful theatrical distribution if it expanded. “It’s sucker bait,” he said. “‘We’ll put the movie out for a week or 10 days. We’ll qualify for Oscar consideration.’ See, I think that’s fundamentally rotten to the core. A movie should be made as a movie for theatrical, and the Academy Awards mean nothing to me if they don’t mean theatrical. I think they’ve been co-opted, and I think it’s horrific.”
That said, Cameron isn’t opposed to Netflix playing the game if it actually, well, plays the game. “They should be allowed to compete if they put the movie out for a meaningful release in 2,000 theaters for a month,” Cameron noted.
One report has claimed Netflix is particularly keen to obtain Warner Bros.’ vast content library as the streamer ramps up its potential to offer AI-generation tools and content in the future.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.