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The fate of Warner Bros. Discovery remains the biggest story in Hollywood, with Paramount Skydance refusing to back down from its rival bid to the proposed Netflix acquisition of the company. If the Netflix deal does go through, the company\u2019s co-chief executive, Ted Sarandos, has attempted to ease concerns around what that could mean for theaters.<\/p>\n
In an interview with The New York Times<\/em>, Sarandos responded to a question about his company\u2019s commitment to the theatrical business by insisting that he has no interest in bringing a swift end to it. “We will run that business largely like it is today, with 45-day windows,” he said. “I\u2019m giving you a hard number. If we\u2019re going to be in the theatrical business, and we are, we\u2019re competitive people \u2014 we want to win. I want to win opening weekend. I want to win box office.”<\/p>\n Prior to this new NYT <\/em>interview\u2019s publication, Deadline <\/em>reported that it had been told by sources that Netflix was supportive of a 17-day window, which would obviously be far more damaging to theaters. This came after the Stranger Things <\/em>finale reportedly banked north of $25m during its brief theatrical run over New Year\u2019s Eve and New Year\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n Sarandos was also asked if he regretted saying the theatrical business as we know it today is an “outmoded” idea. He told the NYT<\/em>: “You have to listen to that quote again. I said ‘outmoded for some.’ I mean, like the town that ‘Sinners’ is supposed to be set in does not have a movie theater there. For those folks, it\u2019s certainly outmoded. You\u2019re not going to get in the car and go to the next town to go see a movie.” (Movies are actually nascent technology in Sinners<\/em>, which is set in the 1930s. Bad example, Ted!) He went on to explain that for someone like his daughter, who lives in Manhattan and has a number of theaters within walking distance of her home, the term does not apply in the same way.<\/p>\n The Netflix co-chief exec\u2019s latest comments seem to be designed to appease theater owners as much as the movie-going public, after a number of chains opposed the proposed WBD sale. “Such an acquisition will further consolidate control over production and distribution of motion pictures in the hands of a single, dominant, global streaming platform in a market that is already highly concentrated,” said trade organization Cinema United in a statement to Congress.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n