The topic in Hollywood has been one since Friday morning (5), when Netflix announced the purchase of Warner Bros. studio and streaming operations. Discovery, for 72 billion dollars: what future for cinema? The question is entirely relevant since Warner is one of the most productive and relevant studios in the world, but its new owner, Netflix, has a very different theatrical exhibition policy from the one that brought the century-old company here. The streaming platform values very short viewing windows, favoring its streaming catalog.
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This is why directors, operators, producers, screenwriters and actors fear for the future. While Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said Warner would honor its viewing commitments, he said he believed the model needed to “evolve to become more consumer-friendly.” This statement only caused even more uncertainty in industries, which reacted. The American Motion Picture Exhibitors Association said the purchase represented “an unprecedented threat to the global motion picture exhibition market.” The directors’ union cited “significant concerns”.
Big names in the sector have already spoken out, some more pessimistic, others less, about the future. Actress Jane Fonda appeared in the first group when she released a statement that read: “The news that Warner Bros. Discovery accepting a buyout offer is an alarming escalation of consolidation that threatens the entire entertainment industry, the democratic public it serves, and the First Amendment. Make no mistake: this is not just a catastrophic trade deal that could destroy our creative industry.
Bong Joon Ho, director of 2020 Best Picture Oscar winner “Parasite,” during a panel at the Marrakech Film Festival in Morocco, took a conciliatory stance. An audience member asked him what he thought of the purchase, noting that many were worried about the possibility of the cinematic experience disappearing. To which Bong Joon Ho replied, “To be honest, I don’t know what’s going on in Los Angeles. I’m just a South Korean staying at home. Streaming is also a good way to watch and enjoy movies, but I don’t think the movie experience will disappear so easily.”
Among Brazilian directors, Kleber Mendonça Filho, director of “The Secret Agent”, raised the subject in his story on
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