Ted Sarandos insisted that Netflix has no “opposition to movies in theaters” as the streamer said it “expects” to release Warner Bros. films theatrically if it completes its $82.7 billion deal for the studio and HBO Max.
On a conference call with investors and press on Friday, the Netflix co-ceo noted that the company has released 30 films in cinemas in 2025, though most of those films have had a far shorter theatrical run than those from a typical studio.
“It’s not like we have this opposition to movies into theaters,” Sarandos said. “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.