So, the verdict from Exhibtion seems to be that the End Of The World is upon us with Netflix buying Warners. Why? Well look what happened when Disney bought the powerhouse that was 20th Century Fox, and left it a sad shell of its former self, with 25% reduction in combined box office. For sure, Warners will continue for a bit as is, before movie projects gradually get pulled over to drive Netflix growth, give it a few years and Warners might be the new Fox. Meanwhile, over in Pay TV World, Netflix 2.0 could wipe out the likes of Sky, who used to bankroll much of theatrical thanks to their Pay TV deals. Netflix have been canny of late by "joining forces" with Sky to offer Sky & Netflix for £15 a month, but now they're set to stab them in the back and take away all their customers along with the HBO back catalogue. Takes me back to about 12 years ago when how we laughed at Fox Towers when Netflix were offering silly money for our back catalogue that was literally worthless... On the counter side, Netflix have been making moves to theatrical releases, if slightly half hearted, and they certainly have plenty of theatrical content that could look great on the big screen, and maybe more than the Studios are capable of creating big global cultural moments, which beget shared experiences. Hopefully some of the WB management will survive annihilation and be theatrical whisperers, or Netflix themselves will see the light and realise how valuable and important theatrical can be. Please tell me the Truth will win out, in the end.
“A house divided cannot stand” to quote Mr Lincoln. Makes nonsense that the Netflix films won’t have theatrical but over the hill it will be theatrical as normal. One side must prevail….and I think we know who.
Tectonic plates shifting everywhere. And not slowly. Disney has a good slate for 2026. The last theatrical hurrah ?
As you have said Cameron, it is going to be Fox/Disney all over again sadly and whatever slate is in the pipeline for Warner it will very quickly be swallowed up within the larger Netflix model to drive subscription!
It's all about adaptation. Netflix can't rely only on streaming, that's why it's introducing new business models, new acquisitions, new IPs, shaping the way we see entertainment. Theatrical remains the largest source of income for feature films and the main window of the entertainment business. Netflix is just adjusting the way the company will deliver products from now on. This is my analysis of the merger: https://lnkd.in/eFjr_jmu