Sean Baker Says We Have to ‘Put Our Foot Down’ to Save Movie Theaters
In a classic Friday news dump, Netflix announced a tentative deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery for $83 billion dollars. Understandably, the already beleaguered creative community in Hollywood isn’t too stoked about yet another merger squishing the already squashed options for distributing content. Like, any content at all. The Writers Guild of America cried antitrust — and were joined in that by Jane Fonda and the Teamsters.
Sean Baker, whose film Anora won six Oscars including Best Picture, was somewhat more ambivalent about the proposed buyout. Speaking at the Red Sea Film Festival, Baker said that he doesn’t “think any of us should be commenting until we all know how [the deal] is going to play out,” but that “filmmakers have to put our foot down” to save the three-month theatrical window. (per Variety). Below, how other celebs are reacting to their world getting smaller and smaller and smaller.
Sean Baker
“We should not be reducing theatrical windows, we should be expanding,” Baker said at the Red Sea Film Festival. “This is how the filmmaker wants you to see his film, and everybody else can wait for it.” Baker said he was going to demand a 100-day theatrical window for his next movie. “I don’t care what happens,” he said. “When you’re going directly to streaming, it diminishes the importance of a film. The theatrical experience elevates the importance. The way you present it to the world is a very important thing.”
Jane Fonda
Grace & Frankie star Jane Fonda issued a statement, obtained by The Wrap, decrying what she sees as a clear antitrust violation. Her full statement is below:
Today’s news that Warner Bros. Discovery has accepted a purchase bid is an alarming escalation of the consolidation that threatens the entire entertainment industry, the democratic public it serves, and the First Amendment itself.
Make no mistake, this is not just a catastrophic business deal that could destroy our creative industry. It is a constitutional crisis exacerbated by the administration’s demonstrated disregard for the law.
To the Justice Department and state attorneys general: We know this deal — or any deal of this magnitude — will trigger your antitrustreview obligation, and we demand that you categorically refrain from using that power to extract political concessions that influence content decisions or chill free speech.
To Netflix and any company that becomes involved in this destructive deal: We have watched industry leaders acquiesce to the administration’s demands at the expense of our livelihoods, our storytelling, and our constitutional rights. As stewards of an industry built on free expression, you have a responsibility to defendour rights, not trade them away to pad your pockets.
We are watching closely, organizing, and ready to mobilize.
James Cameron
Before the Netflix-WBD deal was announced, James Cameron was already against it. While guesting on The Town podcast December 1, Cameron said a Netflix-Warner Bros. merger would be “a disaster.” Like Baker, his main problem is Netflix’s avowed distaste for the theatrical experience. “Sorry, Ted, but geez,” Cameron said, addressing Netflix head Ted Sarandos directly. He also bumped against Netflix’s move of doing limited releases for their awards bait content and nothing else. “‘We’ll put the movie out for a week, we’ll put it out for 10 days, we’ll qualify it for Academy Awards consideration.’ See, I think that’s fundamentally rotten at the core. A movie should be made as a movie for theatrical. And the Academy Awards to me mean nothing if they don’t mean theatrical, and I think they’ve been co-opted, and I think it’s horrific.”
Demi Adeyjuigbe
Comedian and “September” short-form video auteur Demi Adeyjuigbe went very silly with his opprobrium.
if u see a streaming service forming a monopoly at da cost of da theatrical experience warn a brother
— demi adejuyigbe (@electrolemon) December 5, 2025
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