James Cameron On Netflix & Warner Bros. Merger And The Future Of Theater

Academy Award-winning director James Cameron weighs in on the potentially catastrophic deal between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Cameron, like the vast majority of Hollywood, has expressed his concerns about the merger negatively affecting the entertainment industry, especially when it comes to theatrical releases. But, regardless of how bleak things might seem right now, the Avatar director made it abundantly clear that he intends to protect the big screen and will not let it go down without a fight.

In an interview with Deadline, Cameron offered his opinion on the pending contract between Netflix and Warner Bros. The director acknowledged that the streaming platform has made compromises in the past to release specific films in theaters, such as Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Rian Johnson’s Knives Out. However, he said that it’s still very obvious that Netflix’s main goal appears to be moving away from theatrical releases altogether.

Look, it’s no secret that Netflix, they’ve kind of, in a funny way, they’ve had to make an accommodation with a few filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro and so on to keep a foot in theatrical, but I think it’s no secret that they want to replace theatrical.

He said that he knows the industry may change, regardless of whether this deal goes through. But he believes that being able to go to a movie theater to watch a film is something that is very near and dear to his heart. Cameron added that streaming services like Netflix would never be able to replace or replicate the movie-going experience, and he will continue to resist any efforts that Netflix might make to get rid of it.

OK, I mean, maybe that happens, I don’t know, maybe I’m a dinosaur. I happen to think that there’s something sacred about the movie-going experience and just the ease and broad access of streaming is not the complete answer. Maybe the universe adjusts around those two principles, but you can’t just steamroll theatrical out of existence, and I’m going to stay opposed to that.

Earlier this week, Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos backtracked on his prior statements. He claimed he supports theatrical releases, especially for Warner Bros. films. He promised that he would respect the downstream release window. Despite his newfound optimism, sources doubt his sincerity. Insiders reportedly stated that Sarandos favors a 17-day exclusive theatrical run over the 45-day window that theaters prefer. For many in the entertainment industry, the former can be seen as a major threat.

Cameron believes that if Netflix assumes a larger role in the industry and supports the survival of theatrical releases, it might adjust its current approach. But, regardless of what the streaming platform has in mind, he remains committed to keeping the theatrical experience alive. He noted that the majority of his work is created specifically for the big screen. He also mentioned that with the potential merger, the number of major players in the industry will decrease significantly, making the preservation of theaters even more crucial.

Now, maybe Netflix modifies its game once it has the responsibility for the survival of theatrical as well. If they prevail in this, they’ll become a major and we’re down to half the number of majors that existed when I came into the business. This is going to sort itself out, but I’m pretty four-square on the side of let’s keep that theatrical experience alive. Clearly, I make movies for that, primarily.

Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery’s deal is still pending at the time of this article’s publication.