Overview
- Cinema United filed a statement to a House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee warning the Netflix acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery would have a direct and irreversible negative impact on theaters.
- The group said a Paramount purchase would raise similar risks, noting a combined Paramount–Warner Bros. could control as much as 40% of the annual domestic box office.
- Warner Bros. Discovery rejected Paramount’s latest offer as its board stuck to a previously announced agreement to sell studio and streaming assets to Netflix in a deal valued at about $82.7 billion.
- Multiple outlets report Netflix has advocated internally for roughly a 17-day theatrical exclusivity window, while Netflix’s Ted Sarandos publicly reiterates a commitment to theatrical releases and says windows will evolve to be more consumer friendly; AMC has argued for about 45 days.
- Cinema United cited Netflix’s recent average theatrical windows of roughly 11–17 days versus major-studio averages of about 46 days in 2024 and 58 days in 2023, and pointed to event-style runs like the Stranger Things finale topping $25 million as evidence of ongoing theatrical demand.