Netflix destroyed Blockbuster and has helped usher in the end of physical media. Now, they’re coming for theaters, too. The streamer has officially won the bidding war for Warner Bros. in a surprise turn of events. With Paramount seemingly leading the way for much of this race, Netflix popped in with some helpful additions to their bid, beating out all other competitors. While there were bad outcomes for every possible sale, this is one of the worst, and it could mark the end of theaters.

Netflix’s Warner Bros. Purchase Could Ruin Theaters

Netflix’s purchase of Warner Bros. has not been signed, sealed, delivered just yet. The $72 billion deal will go through intense regulatory review in the US and other countries before being approved. There are concerns about a monopoly here, as a move of this size brings up several anti-trust issues. Still, as of now, Warner Bros. is on track to fall under Netflix’s reign.

What is particularly troubling about this move is what it means for theatrical releases. It is a good thing that these movies have homes to go to after theaters, so those who couldn’t afford to or were unable to go to the cinema to watch movies have the chance to not long after they’re out. It is not good that, for example, Frankenstein and Wake Up Dead Man got about a month combined in theaters, and that’s where Netflix’s biggest problem lies.

Netflix has bought some really good films lately, so their library isn’t as chock full of slop anymore. But those films do not get the treatment they deserve. All of these films should’ve had a long theatrical release before heading to streaming:

• Train Dreams
• Jay Kelly
• Hit Man
• Frankenstein
• Wake Up Dead Man
• The Power of the Dog
• The Killer

That’s just a few from the last few years, too. There have been and will be so many more as Netflix continues to buy up movies and assets. Only this time, they won’t have to bid at festivals for movies. That’s how they got Train Dreams, for example, but now the streaming giant will get first access to a ton of huge IPs to make movies out of and skip the bidding process entirely.

Just look at what falls under the WB umbrella:

• Beetlejuice
• Looney Tunes
• Terminator
• DC
• Austin Powers
• The Conjuring
• Evil Dead
• Final Destination
• Friday the 13th
• Middle Earth (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings)
• National Lampoon’s Vacation
• TMNT
• Tom and Jerry
• The Wizard of Oz
• Blade Runner
• Dune
• Godzilla
• Harry Potter
• It
• King Kong
• The LEGO Movie
• Mad Max
• The Matrix
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Rocky, Creed
• Ocean’s

Some of these are inconsequential, as the series have ended or aren’t relevant anymore. But a few of these are hugely important. A world where Dune Part Three is in theaters for two weeks before landing on Netflix is not a world I want to live in. A world where Superman: Man of Tomorrow is on Netflix day one instead of theaters is not a world I want to live in.

Netflix has a hit every once in a while, but most of the original content is bad and churned out. They have taken a quantity over quality approach, and now that the brand has all these huge IPs and series to utilize. Fans will certainly enjoy getting more content in their favorite series, but it won’t be good content.

There’s always a chance they change their approach, but it’s not likely. Nothing in their history suggests they care about cinema and the film industry or theaters. There’s nothing quite like seeing a movie on a huge screen, especially IMAX or Dolby. Netflix doesn’t see the difference between that massive, beautiful screen and your 43-inch TV at home.

Perhaps the influx of IP that will make them money in theaters will help change the approach. For example, would they be able to make over $700 million from Dune Part Three in just subscriptions? That’s what the second film made in theaters, and that’s an awfully enticing number.

Furthermore, this may help Netflix to shore up its approach. They won’t need to churn out endless slop to make money. They’ll have a virtual money-printing machine with some of those series, so perhaps they can slow down. I’m not at all hopeful they will, but that seems a little more likely than the government stepping in to help the American people in this situation.

Conclusion

Warner Bros. sale is a sad day as a titan of the film industry has fallen to the streaming world. Netflix has its advantages, especially in providing an option for people to watch movies at some point. It just does not supercede the wonderful theater experience, which is an endangered and dying part of the film world now.