Netflix's announced plan to acquire Warner Bros. has sparked widespread alarm among cinephiles, intensifying fears of corporate consolidation, the demise of theatrical moviegoing, and a future where tech giants prioritize intellectual property over film history and artistic integrity.
The article details the profound dismay within the film community following Netflix's announcement to acquire Warner Bros., a move seen as a significant escalation of corporate consolidation in the entertainment industry. This news, coupled with Paramount's hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, is described as 'ruining holidays' for cinephiles and exacerbating concerns about the future of cinema. Despite Warner Bros. having a 'spectacular year' in 2025 with hits like 'Barbie,' 'Dune,' 'Minecraft,' and 'Superman,' its current CEO, David Zaslav, appears to value these successes only as leverage for a sale. The author argues that Netflix's primary motivation isn't to enrich its film library or support theatrical releases, but rather to eliminate competition, specifically HBO Max, and acquire valuable intellectual property (IP). Netflix's email to subscribers, which bizarrely frames classics like 'Casablanca' as 'franchises,' highlights a perceived corporate insensitivity and a disdain for film history and the theatrical experience. The article laments that moviegoing, a simple and affordable pleasure, is increasingly being treated as a 'productivity problem' by tech companies aiming to colonize our leisure time with algorithms and streaming subscriptions, ultimately threatening the diverse landscape of film exhibition and artistic creation. The piece concludes with a call to resist this 'hostile takeover' of art and leisure by 'tech weirdos.'
