Posted in: Box Office, Movies | Tagged: box office, netflix, Ted Sarandos

Netflix Suddenly Loves Theaters, According To Ted Sarandos

All of a sudden, Ted Sarandos and Netflix seem to really like theaters, as he was quoted as saying this week.

Netflix has had a pretty checkered past when it comes to releasing its projects in theaters, and with good reason. They really don't have to. Which is why the prospect of them owning Warner Bros has given Hollywood and moviegoers heart palpitations since it was announced that they had reached a deal to buy one of the oldest studios in the business. With some of the biggest franchises in film history under their control, from DC Comics to Harry Potter, taking some of the biggest films that still drive people into theaters off the board is a frightening proposition. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has not held back in the past about wanting to destroy the theatrical business, and the quote "people prefer to watch movies at home" has been thrown around regularly over the last few years. Now that he may own Warner Bros, though, and after taking the top spot at the weekend box office over the summer with KPop Demon Hunters, he may see things in a different light.

Netflix Could Power The Box Office To New Heights, If They Want To

In a chat with The New York Times this week, here is what he had to say when asked about the theatrical window: "I understand that folks are emotional about it because they love it and they don't want it to go away. And they think that we've been doing things to make it go away. We haven't. When this deal closes, we will own a theatrical distribution engine that is phenomenal and produces billions of dollars of theatrical revenue that we don't want to put at risk. We will run that business largely like it is today, with 45-day windows. I'm giving you a hard number. If we're going to be in the theatrical business, and we are, we're competitive people — we want to win. I want to win opening weekend. I want to win box office."

Well, well, well, it seems not even Ted can escape having a big ego. Of course he wants to win the box office; it is the one thing everyone has said Netflix can't, or doesn't want, to do. The reality is that, for years now, Netflix could have been powering the box office to its own benefit, getting franchises off the ground that would keep subscribers sticking around and limit churn, all while raking in cash. If Waner Bros is what makes them finally see the light and do this, great. My big fear is that when they conquer theaters, they get bored and leave. Hopefully that won't happen.

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