Netflix are buying Warner Bros

[Dai]

Netflix Confirms Acquisition Of Warner Bros In Merger Deal Worth Over $82 Billion
https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/netflix-wins-warner-bros-discovery-bidding-war-as-major-merger-moves-one-step-closer/

When you consider the cinematic heritage of Warner Bros, this might be an ever bigger seismic shift in the Hollywood landscape than when Disney gobbled up 20th Century Fox. And for them to be absorbed by an algorithm-led streaming platform like Netflix frankly turns my stomach.

Narrowing the focus, the question is what will this mean for the Monsterverse? This buyout seemingly won't happen for another 12-18 months, so it may not affect in-development projects like GxK Supernova. Also, Netflix have shown a prior interest in Godzilla, with the likes of Singular Point and the Polygon Pictures trilogy, but will tentpole cinematic blockbusters be part of Netflix's vision for WB or will they just be hoarding IPs to keep them out of the hands of the competition?

The part of the Monsterverse at greatest risk is probably Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and any spin-off(s), since it's attached to a rival streaming platform.

[Benjamin Haines]

^ Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is produced by Legendary Television. Warner Bros. has nothing to do with it, so it will still be up to Apple to renew it for a third season or more.

According to Deadline (https://deadline.com/2025/12/netflix-warner-bros-takeover-analysis-reshape-business-1236637120/), this merger wouldn't be completed until late 2026 at the soonest, after Warner Bros. Discovery spins out its global networks division, Discovery Global, into a separate publicly-traded company, and so WB's studio and streaming divisions are likely to keep doing business as usual for the next two or three years. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said when announcing the merger, "I'd say that right now you should count on everything that has planned on going to the theaters through Warner Bros. will continue to go to the theaters through Warner Bros."

Godzilla x Kong: Supernova probably will still open in theaters as scheduled on March 26, 2027, although it might then be streaming on Netflix by the end of April. The HBO Max streaming service also might be absorbed into Netflix by then, similar to how Disney+ absorbed Hulu. As for the future? If Legendary produces another Godzilla/Kong movie after Supernova, for all we know it could be a Netflix streaming exclusive in 2030 with no theatrical run and no physical disc release.

As awful as it is that Netflix is buying WB, it's still better than having the WB film and television assets swallowed up by one of the existing theatrical rivals. Comcast/Universal and Skydance/Paramount were both gunning for it, and could you even imagine if Disney had absorbed WB after already doing that to 20th Century Fox?

These entertainment industry mega-mergers are always a shitshow. It was bad enough when AT&T absorbed Time Warner back in 2018 and began consolidating all of those newly acquired film and TV assets under the name WarnerMedia. Sure enough, just a few years later, AT&T announced that their brief foray into the entertainment industry would end by selling WarnerMedia to the cable television conglomerate Discovery, and then Discovery CEO David Zaslav spent the past three years canceling Warner Bros. Discovery movies midway through production and permanently removing shows from distribution just to secure tax write-offs and reduce the company's debt, treating this legacy film studio as nothing more than an asset to be flipped for a profit, which is happening now with Netflix's acquisition.

Of course the best possible scenario would have been if Time Warner hadn't been bought out by AT&T, and then the best case scenario after that would have been if AT&T hadn't sold WarnerMedia to Discovery, and then the best remaining scenario after that would have been if Zaslav hadn't put Warner Bros. Discovery up for sale. After all that, I think the best case scenario at this point would have been if Apple had acquired WB, because Apple at least recognizes the value of the theatrical market. Being absorbed by Netflix is a very ignominious end for the century-long legacy of Warner Bros. Pictures but at least it's better than if Comcast/Universal, Skydance/Paramount or Disney had absorbed one of their few remaining Hollywood rivals. Warner Bros. will remain separate from other Hollywood studios under this deal, and there's still a remote chance that acquiring this legacy studio will give Netflix's leadership a change of heart about the value of theatrical moviegoing.

[Dai]

Paramount joins the chat:

https://www.eurogamer.net/paramount-to-ruin-the-netflix-party-hollywood-studio-announces-clearly-superior-warner-bros-offer-of-its-own

I don't know if this is just desperate posturing on their part or if the news media's talk of the bidding war being over was premature.

[lhb412]

Netflix is a terrible choice because of what Netflix is and Paramount is bad because the owners seem to be the most odious (no small feat among the billionaire class to look worse than the other guys!).

Classic "whoever wins we loose" scenario.

Whatever happens, I'm sure that, like every other big merger, it'll be bad for consumers and employees but good for the all-important shareholders. Praise be to the almighty shareholders! Prepare burnt sacrifices for the shareholders!

[Benjamin Haines]

WB getting absorbed by Netflix is bad but WB getting absorbed by Paramount or one of the other few remaining Hollywood giants (Disney, Universal or Sony) would be so much worse.