James Cameron’s Deadly Warning to Hollywood

Legendary filmmaker James Cameron recently criticized the deal between Netflix and Warner Bros., calling it a disastrous move. Netflix successfully acquired Warner Bros., but Cameron argues that this move will lead to the closure of theatres and several job losses in the entertainment industry.

“I believe strongly that the proposed sale of Warner Bros. Discovery to Netflix will be disastrous for the theatrical motion picture business that I have dedicated my life’s work to. Of course, my films all play in the downstream video markets as well, but my first love is the cinema,” Cameron wrote in his letter to American Senator Mike Lee.

According to James Cameron, theatres will be closed, and only a few films will be made if such a deal gets implemented. Cameron thinks Netflix’s business model is directly at odds with the theatrical film production and exhibition business, which employs hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Warner Bros. is one of the few remaining film production studios, and if it also changes course, that’s the end of serious filmmaking, resulting in the US no longer leading in the movies segment.

Interestingly, Mike Lee responded to Cameron, saying, “We have received outreach from actors, directors, and other interested parties about the proposed Netflix and Warner Bros. merger, and I share many of their concerns. I look forward to holding a follow-up hearing to further address these issues.”

When a big director like Cameron openly stated this, we can imagine the impact on the industry.