Netflix CEO’s Prediction About Theatres Goes Wrong

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos once said that going to movie theaters had become an “outmoded idea” for most people. His comments came during the TIME100 Summit in New York in April 2025, when he argued that many people now prefer watching movies at home. He also said the theater experience was still important for some people.

But the worldwide box office has given a strong answer since then.

At least eight films released after Sarandos made those comments have crossed the huge $1 billion mark at the global box office. The success shows that audiences are still ready to leave their homes and spend money on big screen entertainment when a film gives them a reason to go to theaters.

The first major example was Lilo & Stitch, which crossed $1 billion worldwide in 2025. Disney’s live action remake finished with more than $1.03 billion globally.

Then came Zootopia 2, which became one of the biggest global hits of the year. The animated film earned around $1.87 billion worldwide, showing the huge demand for family movies on the big screen.

James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash also delivered a massive result. The film collected around $1.49 billion worldwide, becoming another billion dollar theatrical success.

The success continued into 2026. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie became the first movie of the year to cross $1 billion worldwide. It reached the milestone in its 10th weekend and took the Mario franchise beyond $2 billion in total global ticket sales.

Michael Jackson’s biopic Michael also surprised the industry by crossing $1 billion worldwide. It became the highest grossing music biopic and the first biopic to reach the billion dollar mark.

Pixar’s Toy Story 5 followed the same path. The film has crossed $1 billion worldwide, proving that established animated franchises can still bring huge crowds to cinemas.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has also passed $1 billion worldwide. The film has become Nolan’s biggest movie ever at the global box office and has been a major boost for premium formats such as IMAX.

The latest blockbuster is Spider Man: Brand New Day. The film crossed $1 billion at a remarkable speed and reached around $1.67 billion worldwide in just 10 days, becoming the biggest movie of 2026 so far.

These numbers do not mean streaming is losing its importance. Netflix has changed how people watch movies, and audiences clearly enjoy the convenience of watching films at home. But the latest box office results show that the theatrical experience is far from finished.

When a movie offers scale, spectacle, popular characters or a major event feeling, millions of people are still willing to buy a ticket and watch it with a crowd.

The worldwide box office is sending a simple message. Theaters may be changing, but they are certainly not outdated yet.