I really believed that Hollywood would be moving at a good pace since the release of films like Sinners, Superman, One Battle After Another, etc., and because every actor/actress stood up against the news of an AI “actress” being scouted by agencies. Surely Hollywood would start going in the right direction? That was until I saw a news title that made all of my hope for Hollywood vanish. It was announced that one of the major film studios, Warner Bros., has accepted Netflix’s offer to buy the company. Now you may be thinking, “Why exactly would this be a problem, Jaden? Now we can see films at home.” That right there is the problem: instead of films being released in theaters, as has been the case for decades, they may only be released on streaming services now.
Say a film you’ve been dying to see comes out, where would you prefer to watch it? In a theater that widens your imagination, or at your house, where it feels dull because it doesn’t give you that feeling of escapism. Movie theaters don’t just provide a sense of escapism, they also inspire and bring hope to audiences around the world. Personally, going to the movie theaters gives me a sense of joy; even if it’s a film I didn’t enjoy, I still get a sense of happiness from the mere thought of being in a movie theater. The fact that movie theaters might be replaced by streaming seems so devastating to hear. On the business side, this may seem like a good thing to merge, but sometimes you have to look at it from an audience perspective. Speaking of audiences, thousands of Hollywood industry groups are expressing their disapproval of this merger. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has stated, “This merger must be blocked.” Hopefully, these Hollywood industry groups will be able to stop this merger.
As if the news couldn’t get any worse, Netflix’s CEO, Ted Sarandos, recently said, “Movies will remain in theaters, but release windows will likely shorten.” What this essentially means is that while films will still be in theaters, it will be for a very short period of time. Not only does that seem crazy, but it’s very unfair for the directors, actors, crew, etc., who have worked diligently for audiences around the world to enjoy. Mind you, Sarandos has said the movie theater model is “outdated.” So, from these two statements, it seems as though Sarandos is just a Debbie Downer, because how are you going to say that films from Warner Bros. will be in theaters and audiences can still enjoy them, but say the concept of a movie theater is “outdated?”
Also, you may be thinking, “Well, I’m already subscribed to Netflix, so that won’t be a problem for me.” Actually, this would be a big problem for subscribers as well. Prices would increase rapidly if this merger were to pass. The current Netflix subscription price is $24.99. Imagine the subscription pricing once this merger passes, it would definitely rise to around $40.99 or even higher in my opinion. This could happen because some Warner Bros. films cost a massive amount to produce. So, if Netflix were creating an original film for its streaming app and wanted to keep audiences engaged, it would have to raise subscription prices.
I’m very distraught to hear this news. Hopefully, the Hollywood departments will be able to stop this merger. The hope and inspiration of films on a screen have been around for decades; to see all that taken away in a flash is very heartbreaking. In the words of iconic Nicole Kidman in the AMC ad, “Heartbreak feels good in a place like this.”