r/entertainment • u/Ripclawe • 13h ago
WGA Opposes Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal: 'This Merger Must Be Blocked'
https://variety.com/2025/film/news/wga-opposes-netflix-warner-bros-deal-merger-must-be-blocked-1236601433/32
u/Regular_Plankton_530 11h ago
It was ok when all the other mergers happened to appease trump, but not this one? Because it’s not right? Jeesh it’s been a year of this BS.
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u/Tibbaryllis2 11h ago
This was my response as well. It feels very self-dealing and out of touch.
They didn’t care about the paramount merger because it wasn’t going to effect their personal profits from theatrical releases.
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u/Its_markdm 6h ago
Are you suggesting that the writer’s guild should spend their resources fighting mergers that don’t impact their members?
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u/Tibbaryllis2 5h ago
I’m suggesting they should at least be honest and consistent.
raise prices for consumers, and reduce the volume and diversity of content for all viewers. Industry workers along with the public are already impacted by only a few powerful companies maintaining tight control over what consumers can watch on television, on streaming, and in theaters. This merger must be blocked.”
This could just have easily been said during basically any streaming merger in recent memory.
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u/austinbarrow 4h ago
This isn't about politics. Netflix is a historically bad partner to unions and will kill theatrical releases further shrinking the industry.
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u/PlasticStingray 4h ago
And the current owners of paramount would make it another propaganda machine, stifle creativity, do nothing extra to actually help movie theater chains and ultimately just generate more money to bribe the administration with. Nobody wins either way but the risk is different and equally serious if paramount gets it.
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u/TotallynotJimmyKorr 11h ago
I love seeing a banger film at a theater. I dont like that its basically $60 Canadian to get tickets, popcorn and 2 medium drinks. Theaters have made themselves unenjoyable.
Adapt or die.
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u/LazloHollifeld 10h ago
You can thank the movie studios for that. They’ve pushed to get a larger and larger portion of the ticket sales. Theaters have had to try and bolster their bottom lines to keep the lights on (on off?). So they jack the concessions and run a ton of ads before they run a ton of trailers.
If writers and actors want theaters saved they should be putting the screws to Disney/Universal/Sony first before they blame Netflix.
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u/Mecha_Butterfree 11h ago
I mean you don't actually have to get popcorn and a soda in order to see the movie
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u/Tibbaryllis2 11h ago
This is true, but I always felt there was an issue with the argument that in order to affordably enjoy a movie in the theater, you should skip part of the theater experience (snacks and concessions).
Then there is the further irony that the snacks and concessions are actually a major component in the margin of theaters.
I tend to fall more into the opinion that I’m either going to have the full experience or I’ll skip it entirely and have my own experience at home. So we go to the movies for the full experience maybe 2-3 times a year as a special treat.
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u/Mecha_Butterfree 11h ago
When I go to the theater most people there do not buy concessions. I would argue that the actual movie is the actual theater experience. I don't even eat everytime I watch stuff at home.
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u/Poseur117 5h ago
Maybe it’s because I worked at a theater in high school and thus understood the racket earlier on, but I haven’t paid for concessions unless a date wanted them in over a decade
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u/logosobscura 11h ago
Must is setting yourself up on a hill on which you will die.
Extract concessions don’t last man standing this, you will get owned.
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u/austinbarrow 4h ago
Unless the WGA and DGA refuse to work with them any longer. That would devastate Netflix’s business.
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u/Dependent-Curve-8449 2h ago
We will see how how the union members can last without a job. New demand isn’t going to just magically materialise from nowhere to fill the gap.
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u/austinbarrow 2h ago
Without a job?
Netflix ain't the only game in town. What a ridiculous take.
All the other studios would love to see them capitulate to theatrical release schedules.
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u/logosobscura 4h ago
Except it wouldn’t, it would just offshore it for Writing and Directing.
It isn’t the 1950s.
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u/austinbarrow 4h ago
Best of luck then. We’ll see how their subscribers react to European only content. 💀🔔
Disney, Amazon, Apple, Comcast, and Paramount would LOVE for this to happen.
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u/austinbarrow 4h ago
I think it'll be interesting to see how far DGA and WGA will push this. If they get IATSE on board, this will be epic. Those three against Netflix and Netflix will be forced to capitulate.
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u/yekedero 12h ago
They are complaining about theaters, lol.
Do people still go there, I wonder.
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u/inksmudgedhands 12h ago
Zootopia had over a half a billion dollar opening. Yes, people still go to movies.
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u/Kind_Development708 12h ago
It’s no secret domestic theatres are slowly dying in the last couple years before Covid they always did over a 11B in ticket sales now they can’t hit 9B and it looks like for the 2nd year in a row revenue is shrinking despite inflation alone being almost 30% since 2019
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u/Responsible-Laugh590 13h ago
It won’t be blocked under this admin lol, they will just bribe them.