Despite a bidding war between Paramount Pictures and Netflix for Warner Bros., Netflix is sticking to its plans to release future Warner Bros. movies in theaters. News broke three days ago that Netflix would acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in a deal worth billions, but today (December 8th) Paramount made an unexpected offer to take over the company.
Warner Bros. is considering a new offer from Paramount and will let everyone know its decision in about two weeks. Meanwhile, Netflix—still hoping to buy the studio—has addressed worries about how the acquisition might affect movie releases in theaters. Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters have explained their plans to keep theatrical releases going.
According to Deadline, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos told Wall Street investors today that the company plans to keep releasing some movies in theaters, similar to how Warner Bros. does. Sarandos explained that the acquisition gives Netflix access to businesses it didn’t previously have, including a movie studio and its existing theatrical distribution network.
Sarandos explained that they plan to release acquired films as they would be released in today’s market. He also stated their intention to maintain the existing operations of their three businesses—theatrical releases, TV production, and HBO—largely unchanged. Once the deal is finalized, they will officially be in the theatrical movie business and are committed to pursuing it.
Ted Sarandos is signaling a change in strategy for Netflix. Traditionally, Netflix has given its films limited theatrical releases – usually just two weeks in cinemas – before making them available on the streaming service. This is largely to qualify movies like Frankenstein, Jay Kelly, and A House of Dynamite for awards eligibility.
Despite recent challenges for movie theaters, Warner Bros. has been a significant contributor to their success, enjoying a remarkable run of hit films this summer. Two of their movies, Sinners and Weapons, received Golden Globe nominations this morning, recognizing both their artistic merit and commercial performance. Overall, Warner Bros. earned over $4 billion worldwide in 2025.
Sarandos pointed out that if the deal had been made two years earlier, Warner Bros. likely would have released this year’s successful films – like Minecraft, Superman, and others such as Weapons and Sinners – in theaters as usual.
Sarandos concluded by explaining that these films will be released on Netflix and in theaters, similar to how Warner Bros. previously handled releases, but utilizing Warner Bros.’ existing infrastructure. He emphasized the importance of maintaining their creative process and the value it generates, stating that the acquisition wasn’t intended to diminish that value.
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2025-12-09 00:24