Cinemas and unions sound alarms over Netflix-Warner Bros. deal

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Hollywood unions and trade groups are pushing back against the proposed $82.7-billion deal for streaming giant Netflix to acquire Warner Bros.’ film and television studios, HBO and HBO Max, citing concerns about greater industry consolidation, job losses and the potential hit to theatrical box office revenue.Groups began voicing opposition even before the proposed tie-up was officially announced.Amid reports Thursday night that Netflix had secured exclusive rights to negotiate with Warner Bros., the Directors Guild of America said it had “significant concerns” about the development and intended to meet with Netflix for further discussion.“We believe that a vibrant, competitive industry — one that fosters creativity and encourages genuine competition for talent — is essential to safeguarding the careers and creative rights of directors and their teams,” the DGA said in a Thursday statement.

Hollywood Inc.Paramount has accused Warner Bros.

Discovery executives of involving European Commission members to thwart Paramount’s bid.A major point of contention is Netflix’s long-standing resistance to traditional theatrical film releases.Though the Los Gatos, Calif., streamer has released films in theaters — including about 30 this year alone — it does so typically for marketing or awards purposes and limits the amount of time those movies are available on the big screen.That theatrical window was once at least 80 days, but has varied by studio since the pandemic.

Last year, the average length of time a film was in theaters was about 32 days, according to data from the Numbers, a movie business information site.Netflix has not been shy about its main goal of offering subscribers first-run movies on its platform, which upends the traditional strategy of having films debut in theaters for an exclusive period before being available at home.For Netflix, having films la...