For its part, Netflix – the frontrunner to acquire Warner Bros. – has tried to allay those concerns; Co-CEO Ted Sarandos is full of assurances that, if the world’s largest streamer closes the deal, the theatrical release will still last 45 days. But theater owners are skeptical about that promise. And now Cameron has doubled down on his concerns by sending a letter to Utah Senator Mike Lee, chairman of the Senate subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights.
As reported by CNBC (via The Hollywood Reporter) — which obtained and published a copy of the letter, written on February 10 — Cameron made his views very clear, arguing that allowing Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. would be disastrous for Hollywood.
He wrote, “My 44-year directing career has been focused on making films for theatrical exhibition and I firmly believe that watching movies in theaters is an important pillar of our culture.” (Later in the letter he called himself “a humble film farmer”.)
He stressed that “the proposed sale of Warner [Bros.] Netflix’s discovery would be devastating to the motion picture business to which I have dedicated my life. Of course, all my films also play in downstream video markets, but my first love is cinema…theatrical exhibition is an important part of my creative vision. I believe in the big screen.
He criticized Sarandos’ comments calling theaters “outdated” and “outdated” and wrote that because “Netflix’s business model is in direct contradiction with the theatrical film production and exhibition business, that puts it in direct contradiction with Warner Bros.’s business model.” Film Division.
He also doubts that Netflix will stick to its pledge to keep movies in theaters for a certain amount of time; Their letter cited the 17-day theatrical window that was mentioned in an earlier Deadline report, rather than the recently mentioned 45-day window.
“Which administrative body will take action against them if they gradually abandon their so-called commitment to theatrical release?” He was amazed.
He also wants Netflix to clarify how many Theaters will be included in its big-screen rollout: “Netflix has made only a handful of theatrical releases, and only then under pressure from reputable filmmakers. But these are usually in a token number of theaters, and are mostly done to qualify for the Academy Awards. These releases do not represent the bread-and-butter of the exhibition business.”
Read the full letter, which also includes Cameron’s work titanic CNBC referenced his concern that “the theatrical experience of the movies could become a sinking ship”.
After Cameron’s letter was published, Deadline obtained Sarandos’ response, given in an interview on the Fox Business show. clammon countdown: “I met with James personally in late December and laid out for him our 45-day commitment to theatrical exhibition of films and the Warner Bros. slate. I have talked about that commitment in the press countless times. I swore in front of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust that that’s what we would do.”
The Netflix boss said, “So… I’m particularly surprised and disappointed that James chose to be part of the Paramount disinformation campaign that has been going on for months about this deal.” “I never even uttered the words ’17-day window,'” he insisted.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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