Warner Bros. Discovery sale (Universal? Paramount? Netflix?)

[Bellosh 4,531]

4 minutes ago, FBC Director said:

Anyone else get annoyed by people who have a movie on but they're just scrolling their phones while it's on? I'd been thinking this for years that modern movies and shows are designed to feature so much dead air time to encourage phone use.

 

 

if i'm doing this, the movie in the background is something i've seen a bunch of times and it's essentially just background noise/comfort.

[Jill Sandwich 11,164]

Sure, but movies people have never seen before. Then they start asking questions about what's going on because their attention was hogged by Snapchat videos.

[Bellosh 4,531]

yeah thats annoying for sure.  i've found that if you go to smaller, local cinemas it happens way less

 

as much as we and this thread want to talk about how movie theaters are dying and it's a shame, theaters kinda did it to themselves with the creating the lounging chairs and assigned seating IMHO.

 

it has made people way too comfortable and their worst habits come out

 

combine that with short attention span reels, tik toks, youtube shorts...it's a recipe for disaster.

 

luckily there's a decent local cinema near me that always has a decent crowd.  but i understand that's not available for every city/town.

 

also while i'm at it, fuck Alamo Drafthouses and their waiters.

[Andy 7,720]

This is almost always how my kid watches movies at home.  The family gets annoyed if I declare “No Phone watching!” when it’s something I think they should really truly watch. 

[Jill Sandwich 11,164]

Normies value phone time over movie time.

[Jill Sandwich 11,164]

I hate how "Netflix" has become a catch-all word for every streaming company, or even movies and shows in general.

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

Lady: "Wanna Netflix and chill?"

 

Drax: "I don't think this is going to work out."

 

*shoves her out the door*

[Bilbo 4,294]

3 hours ago, Bellosh said:

also while i'm at it, fuck Alamo Drafthouses and their waiters.

Listened to a podcast series about the rise and fall of Ain’t It Cool News recently and yeah… fuck the Alamo Drafthouse and its owners 

[Jill Sandwich 11,164]

58 minutes ago, The Score Cleaner said:

Lady: "Wanna Netflix and chill?"

 

Drax: "I don't think this is going to work out."

 

*shoves her out the door*

 

"Let's watch my blu-ray remuxes instead."

[Bilbo 4,294]

[Jay 46,239]

8 hours ago, Bilbo said:

Listened to a podcast series about the rise and fall of Ain’t It Cool News recently and yeah… fuck the Alamo Drafthouse and its owners 

 

Interesting - what podcast?

[Bilbo 4,294]

16 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

Interesting - what podcast?

It’s a bit Netflix-y in that it’s a bit longer than it needs to be and the host is a bit of a wet wipe. But the interviews are all interesting. 
 

https://www.downlowdpod.com/about-4

[Jay 46,239]

Thanks, I'm gonna check it out!

[Jill Sandwich 11,164]

[Bellosh 4,531]

13 hours ago, Bilbo said:

Listened to a podcast series about the rise and fall of Ain’t It Cool News recently and yeah… fuck the Alamo Drafthouse and its owners 

 

my only experience with Alamo was in NYC.

 

waiters constantly bringing food 

 

tin bowls for popcorn (atrocious idea) has anyone heard what kernels sound like in a tin bowl lmfao 

 

and the whole toss ppl out because they're talking thing is horse shit.  it's a warning system.  this couple talked throughout the whole film and never got tossed even after waiters got papers with checkmarks complaining about said ppl

 

stick to your local cinema

[Bilbo 4,294]

24 minutes ago, Bellosh said:

 

my only experience with Alamo was in NYC.

 

waiters constantly bringing food 

 

tin bowls for popcorn (atrocious idea) has anyone heard what kernels sound like in a tin bowl lmfao 

 

and the whole toss ppl out because they're talking thing is horse shit.  it's a warning system.  this couple talked throughout the whole film and never got tossed even after waiters got papers with checkmarks complaining about said ppl

 

stick to your local cinema

It seems like a marketing gimmick alright. 
 

local cinemas would be perfectly fine if there was a way to stop people using their phones in the cinema. 
 

Perhaps putting them in front of a firing squad. 

[Tallguy 7,364]

On 06/12/2025 at 12:59 PM, Maurizio said:

and the Congress as well.

 

The who now?

 

19 hours ago, Bellosh said:

also while i'm at it, fuck Alamo Drafthouses and their waiters.

 

Why so?

[crumbs 16,006]

I wonder if this could be good news for score expansions?

 

It's the film studio division of WB currently blocking labels from licensing scores, right?

[Jill Sandwich 11,164]

Netflix wouldn't want you owning CDs.

[enderdrag64 1,813]

59 minutes ago, crumbs said:

I wonder if this could be good news for score expansions?

 

It's the film studio division of WB currently blocking labels from licensing scores, right?

Probably the opposite

 

There was always a chance WB could change their minds

 

Netflix is very unlikely to work with third parties on score expansions and is almost certainly not going to support physical media if they don't have to

[A24 5,153]

On 06/12/2025 at 3:24 AM, Xander Harris said:

We’re still not as bad as the Eurozone but this is a country in decline.

 

What do you mean? And does it have anything to do with Netflix or WB?

[Bilbo 4,294]

16 minutes ago, A24 said:

 

What do you mean? And does it have anything to do with Netflix or WB?

Absolutely nothing. And those of us in the EU are very happy with it. 

[A24 5,153]

As long as Netflix isn't going to take over A24 ... 

 

WB does own New Line Cinema so maybe it's a sad day for the apostles of Weapons.

[bollemanneke 4,331]

4 hours ago, enderdrag64 said:

Probably the opposite

 

There was always a chance WB could change their minds

 

Netflix is very unlikely to work with third parties on score expansions and is almost certainly not going to support physical media if they don't have to

Okay, but suppose they do want expansions? Couldn't they hire producers themselves? I'm not really fussed about CD or not, I just want them to stop being pricks about their property for no other reason than being pricks. Also, what baout those titles LLL finished but just needs dictatorial approval for? Aren't people freed up now that the entire thing is over? Would someone have the sense to approve them en masse now, before it gets worse?

[Holko 12,057]

5 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

I just want them to stop being pricks about their property for no other reason than being pricks

Right, what the fuck is the point of their property being their property if they don't release it

[Maurizio 6,913]

43 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

Okay, but suppose they do want expansions? Couldn't they hire producers themselves? I'm not really fussed about CD or not, I just want them to stop being pricks about their property for no other reason than being pricks. Also, what baout those titles LLL finished but just needs dictatorial approval for? Aren't people freed up now that the entire thing is over? Would someone have the sense to approve them en masse now, before it gets worse?

 

I imagine at the moment WBD employees have other things on their mind as priority before processing third-party licenses for limited soundtrack reissues of their catalog titles. Overall, it's not a good moment for archival soundtrack reissues. The sad thing is that if Netflix ends up acquiring WB catalog, it will be another nail in the coffin of the heritage and the cultural history of Hollywood studios. All the people in the so called "C-Suite" don't care one bit about the history and the legacy of the stuff they own. Netflix is a tech company and certainly doesn't have any track record for preserving the past.

 

On 06/12/2025 at 7:03 PM, Chen G. said:

I think the guild is more about asking Netflix very nicely to not chop-up theatrical windows for Warner-produced movies...

 

Sarandos already stated that they want to bring the theatrical window to a more "consumer-friendly" slot, whatever that means. Netflix doesn't care one bit about bringing people's bums to the cinema. They've stated many times that it's not a business they're interested in and that they consider it a thing of the past. What is more preoccupying, imho, is this idea that becoming owners of massive IPs like Potter, Lord of the Rings and the likes is a way to feed their own LLMs and algorithms to produce AI-based content. I think this is the road toward which the industry is leading, sadly.

 

Anyway, it seems that this deal will surely hit a few roadblocks. It will be very interesting to see how all will unfold. 

[MaxMovieMan 347]

I’m really hoping this deal doesn’t happen. For the sake of the future of film this can’t happen.

[Jill Sandwich 11,164]

There is no future of film. Normies just scroll their phones forever.

[Maurizio 6,913]

2 hours ago, MaxMovieMan said:

I’m really hoping this deal doesn’t happen. For the sake of the future of film this can’t happen.

 

The thing most people are not getting is that this deal won't be the killer of the Hollywood movie industry as we know it, but it's just a consequence of something that is already happening for a few years, i.e. the fact people have been given the tools to create stuff themselves and that there are whole segments of the world population who don't care one bit about moviemaking in the traditional sense. We've been living attached to a personal device with a screen all the fucking time for almost 20 years now and most of that time is spent in watching videos. How a movie traditionally intended is going to make a difference in such a world? A company like Netflix competes with YouTube more than it does with Disney. Soon all of them will probably have their own AI-fueled platforms with which they will allow people to play with their IPs (at a premium price of course) and let them create their own films.

[Quintus 6,491]

Looks like this deal is about to be put on ice, at least until the crypto payment has gone through.

[Edmilson 12,373]

Go Paramount go.

 

It’s a Bidding War: Paramount Attempts Hostile Offer for Warner Bros.

David Ellison calls Netflix's $82.7 billion deal value an "inferior proposal" and tells Warners shareholders that his coalition promises $18 billion more in cash.

[crumbs 16,006]

6 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Go Paramount go.

 

Would be ten times worse than Netflix. Have you seen who is backing their takeover bid?

 

Quote

Kushner's Affinity Partners is listed in regulatory filings as a backer of the Paramount pitch to buy Warner Bros alongside an $US11.8 billion commitment from the Ellison family and $US24 billion from sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

 

https://www.afr.com/world/north-america/the-netflix-paramount-fight-goes-all-the-way-to-the-white-house-20251209-p5nlzn

[Xander Harris 9,666]

At this rate, Warner Brothers will be fully A.I. by 2030

[NewBlueEyes 237]

2 minutes ago, Xander Harris said:

At this rate, Warner Brothers will be fully A.I. by 2030

Unless someone is wise enough to prevent it

[Xander Harris 9,666]

I read Truth Social. Skynet is about to kill us all.

[MedigoScan 412]

Paramount does sound worse. But whoever wins we lose something

[CinderTech 1,809]

At this rate, I've long decided that if we're gonna get fucked over, I might as well at least have more score expansions to go with it.

 

Hell, given the EA acquisition from some of the same parties that is part of the Paramount team, maybe it'll lead to another industry crash (though I doubt it).

[Jill Sandwich 11,164]

1 hour ago, crumbs said:

 

Would be ten times worse than Netflix. Have you seen who is backing their takeover bid?

 

 

https://www.afr.com/world/north-america/the-netflix-paramount-fight-goes-all-the-way-to-the-white-house-20251209-p5nlzn

 

Excellent!

[Quintus 6,491]

Bootlickers 

[Chen G. 6,138]

James Cameron said Paramount is “by far the best option” - I don't like consolidation, but if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.

[Stark 1,023]

Paramount is ok with soundtrack expansions so I vote Paramount

[Xander Harris 9,666]

2 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

James Cameron said Paramount is “by far the best option” - if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.

Have you seen his 4K transfers? He’s clearly lost his mind.

[Jill Sandwich 11,164]

2 minutes ago, Xander Harris said:

Have you seen his 4K transfers? He’s clearly lost his mind.

 

I have to resort to fan-made 35mm scans just to watch T2 and True Lies.

[Quintus 6,491]

17 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

James Cameron said Paramount is “by far the best option” - if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.

 

It definitely is. Netflix has mad diversi-tee modus operandi shit going on in everything and it constantly breaks my immersion. The Arabs will at least not be arsed about pushing that same irritating agenda.

[Bilbo 4,294]

27 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

James Cameron said Paramount is “by far the best option” - if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.

People see the Saudis linked and think it means anything. The PIF is own a stake in a lot of stuff everyone uses every day. 
 

That’s not defending stuff but basically they’re in it for an investment. They’re not going to be forcing certain directives or practices. 
 

and the likes of Disney will make the cuts required to have their stuff shown in Saudi anyway.

[Gabriel Bezerra 775]

30 minutes ago, Stark said:

Paramount is ok with soundtrack expansions so I vote Paramount

Did the new administration approved any expansions so far?

[Jill Sandwich 11,164]

8 minutes ago, Gabriel Bezerra said:

Did the new administration approved any expansions so far?

 

Air Force One.

[Xander Harris 9,666]

Get off my plane?

[Stark 1,023]

1 hour ago, FBC Director said:

 

Air Force One.

deep cut

[Edmilson 12,373]

4 hours ago, crumbs said:

Would be ten times worse than Netflix.

Absolutely not. Under Paramount, at least theatrical releases of Warner Bros' movies would be safe, so cinemas would be allowed to exist. With Netflix, as soon as the deal is closed, they'd cut theatrical releases for all except their very biggest IPs (Batman, Superman, Harry Potter, and maybe two or three more), and even those would be allowed to play in theaters only for 15 days at best before going straight to their streamer.

 

Even with Warner Bros acting as a normal studio and having one of their best years, the theatrical industry still had a rough year. Now imagine that without WB? Netflix's move would single-handedly destroy the habit of going to the movies while also making their streamer much more expensive and filled with even more garbage mass produced by algorithms based on WB IP. That and a century-old library to train AI and create even more slop.

 

It's a catastrophic scenario.

 

Sure, David Ellison is a jerk, has ties with Trump and is a spoiled nepo baby. But when you have to choose between one evil billionaire or the other, I'll always pick those that aren't tech bros, who are working their hardest to make life worse, getting us closer to doom and remove all that made it meaningful and worth living for all of us just to increase their already obscene fortunes.