Netflix Is Going To Destroy Movie Theaters With Warner Bros Takeover

In a time of turmoil for Hollywood and the entertainment industry, even traditional powerhouse film studios are struggling. Paramount Pictures faced significant financial challenges, to the point where it was bought out by a production company it previously helped finance.

Disney, which seemed invincible as recently as 2019, has produced a remarkable string of box office flops, and even the latest entry in the "Avatar" film franchise has disappointed at the box office. 

RELATED: 'Avatar' Crashes Out At Box Office, Signaling More Trouble For Disney, Hollywood

Then there's Warner Bros. Studios. One of the oldest and most successful studios in Hollywood history, Warner was put up for sale by its parent company, Discovery, late in 2025. After a bidding war, news broke in December that streaming service Netflix had won out. Though new Paramount owner David Ellison has launched an effort to stop it, as of early January, Netflix is still in position to take over. And as many movie fans feared, a new report has confirmed they intend to use Warners to effectively destroy the theatrical model.

The worst thing Netflix has done since the embarrassing Will Byers monologue in "Stranger Things."

Photographer: Ethan Swope/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Netflix Will Erase Theatrical Model With Warner Bros Purchase

Industry trade publication Deadline reported this week that Netflix will dramatically shorten the window between films hitting movie theaters and reaching streaming services.

"Sources have told Deadline that Netflix have been proponents of a 17-day window which would steamroll the theatrical business," the report says. "While circuits such as AMC believe the line needs to be held around 45 days."

What this means is that a new release film would hit theaters, and just two and half weeks later, would be available on Netflix as well. What it also means is that fewer and fewer people would go to movie theaters. Why spend money on movie tickets and concessions, or arrange expensive childcare, when that same movie will be available as part of your already existing monthly subscription a few weeks later?

But for those who love movies, the theatrical experience is an integral component. In an era where smartphones and iPads dominate, movie theaters are (supposed to be) an escape from the constant doom-scrolling and distractions of everyday life. Netflix has epitomized "second screen content," the concept that people are looking at one screen and vaguely half-listening or paying attention to whatever's on their television.

Now, they're buying an established studio to help destroy movie theaters and make that type of experience the only one available. Because it benefits Netflix to do so. They're buying Warners to make signing up for Netflix even more necessary; go to a theater to see the latest big DC Studios release in the tiny window, or pay for a subscription.

It's bad for movie lovers, bad for Hollywood, bad for everyone who cares about maintaining some type of communal experience outside the home. Though most will argue, correctly, that the industry has stopped making movies worth watching, this won't help. And it'll destroy an entire industry in the process.