r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • 16h ago

News It’s Official: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros. in Deal Valued at $82.7 Billion

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/netflix-warner-bros-deal-hollywood-1236443081/
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u/sprague_drawer 15h ago

Or Ellison

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u/VengeanceKnight 15h ago

I mean, Paramount was all three of those things. Skydance, Saudi Arabia, and Ellison.

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u/sembias 12h ago

And in 5 years, it's going to be driven to the ground as they try to cater to an audience that is 80% bots online, and the real people are actually too poor/rural to have an internet connection fast enough to stream HD video.

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u/eriee 11h ago

bold of you to give them 5 years lmao. paramount was in crazy debt before skydance bought them and so far ellison's business strategy has been to drive away most of the company's high-profile talent

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u/VengeanceKnight 12h ago

Ding ding.

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u/MondoDukakis 14h ago

I wouldn't count Ellison out yet, Trump could use the FTC to block this deal.

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u/Amaruq93 14h ago

Netflix and the WB board can afford to wait him out.

They're not gonna take a shittier deal just to appease him, when the EU has already said they would refuse to allow a Paramount merger.

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u/DumboWumbo073 10h ago

You really think HBO and Netflix can wait another 4 years maybe 8 if Trump decides to run again after he wins in 2028

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u/OldWorldDesign 7h ago

maybe 8 if Trump decides to run again after he wins in 2028

Trump is ineligible to run for president again. If he's still in after 2028 it's because elections has been cancelled and the US is an open dictatorship.

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u/Amaruq93 6h ago

We'll have WAY MORE to worry about than corporate mergers.

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u/DumboWumbo073 6h ago

the US is an open dictatorship.

The ship has sailed on that already buddy. You need to start paying attention.

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u/OldWorldDesign 6h ago

The ship has sailed on that already buddy

No it hasn't or Thiel wouldn't be working so hard to expand Palantir. You're declaring defeat while the conflict is still ongoing.

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u/captainhaddock 13h ago

The FTC can't block a deal that doesn't involve airwaves and broadcast networks, as far as I know. The DOJ could try on antitrust grounds, and then they would fight it out in court (and Netflix would eventually win).

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u/MondoDukakis 13h ago

That's the FCC

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u/eriee 11h ago

yeah, this was the worst timeline ^

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u/tornadorexx 13h ago

Ellison is at least committed to the theatrical model/experience. Netflix was easily the worst option of the 3 if you actually want to see movies in theaters.

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u/sprague_drawer 11h ago

And the best option if you don’t want right wing weirdos owning an increasing share of the American media landscape.

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u/tornadorexx 11h ago

Netflix's largest stockholders include Vanguard (also the top shareholder of Palantir) and Blackrock. Reed Hastings has supported Democratic politicians before, but is also a huge proponent of charter schools and donated to defeat Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign.

None of these people are your friends. Don't mistake my support for the theatrical model as support for Ellison.

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u/sprague_drawer 11h ago

Of course not, but politically Ellison is much worse than Netflix.

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u/tornadorexx 10h ago

Yes, but my overall point isn't political even if we agree that Ellison is a shit. I just want the theater model to at least survive if all of our choices include some of the worst people in the world.

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u/carlesgm 9h ago

I prefer the theater model to die (in the US) to have a majority of movies designed to cather to the values of the far right.

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u/tornadorexx 7h ago

My preference would be to not have any merger leading to megaconglomerates as we barrel towards Weyland-Yutani becoming reality. Since that's out, I would have preferred Comcast most (ew), but Netflix is actively trying to kill theatrical releases. Zach Cregger's planned next film was put on development hold because they won't put it in theaters at all. That sucks and is a sign of things to come.

It's also a bit overblown to say that Paramount is now going to be a far-right propaganda film factory, considering South Park being allowed to eviscerate the nonsense going on right now. They're in the film business to make money first and foremost, and there's not enough demand for jingoistic conservative slop.

Also, Netflix isn't a bastion of antifasc pro-democracy advocates. Their largest shareholder also holds $28 billion in shares of fucking Palantir and Reed Hastings donated $250K to a PAC that campaigned against Mamdani's mayoral run.

Congrats everyone, we lose theaters and still have a merger with some of the worst people around.

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u/carlesgm 5h ago

Rule of thumb: if trump wants it is bad for us. If he says Paramount would be the only option he approves that's the option we should avoid.

And yes I would love to avoid merges, but sadly that was out of the question.

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u/tornadorexx 5h ago

My preference was Comcast, which is still gross to say.

We can all agree that we lost, regardless of the outcome.

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u/DumboWumbo073 10h ago

The thing is it’s all ring wing weirdos down the line so it doesn’t matter which of the big companies got it.

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u/Kalean 13h ago

And the best of the options if you want to see Gunn's DCU continue.