You are certainly aware that the year 2025 ended with an unprecedented turnaround for the film industry. In the midst of a crisis and with a split between Warner Bros and Discovery Global approaching, the entertainment giant ended up studying the many offers from its rivals, finally setting its sights on Netflix. The red N won the bidding war, and this decision quickly ignited the cinema industry, and more broadly the entire cultural industry.
Across the Atlantic, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren then put forward the risk that this merger could create “a media giant controlling nearly half of the streaming market, threatening to force Americans into more expensive subscriptions and fewer choices in what and how they watch, while putting American workers at risk.”
However, the almost exclusively dematerialized presence of Netflix (with the exception of rare exclusive screenings) also worried cinema operators. Unfortunately, the latest information shared by the American media Deadline only reinforce these fears.
Two short weeks and then they’re gone
Internal sources told Deadline what Netflix is planning a 17-day exclusive release in theaters before films are available through its streaming catalog. With such a short period, there is no doubt that the majority of subscribers will prefer to wait for the release on Netflix rather than spending on a cinema release in addition to a subscription which is already constantly increasing. American cinema chains have already expressed their reluctance towards this possible decision, arguing thata 45-day window is a minimum to maintain their activity in a stable state.
Except that once the takeover is complete, no one will be able to stop Netflix from making this decision. In the United States, no media chronology law governs the minimum duration before the streaming or digital release of a feature film following its theatrical release. In 2025, films broadcast between January and April arrived on platforms an average of 30 days after their appearance at the cinema.
This is only 15 less than the operators’ recommendation, so what will happen when Netflix introduces its new standard of 17 days? If all the media conglomerates end up following, cinema will end up going under. Note, however, that nothing is yet decided, since the takeover of Warner Bros by Netflix must go through numerous stages before being validated, and the reluctance of the American government does not seem in favor of acceptance. So to be continued.
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