Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is reportedly drawing interest from two very different suitors: Netflix and Paramount. And as the consolidation talk swirls, one of Hollywood’s loudest champions of the big-screen experience is weighing in again.
James Cameron—whose filmography includes Titanic and the Avatar franchise—has long argued that theaters aren’t just another distribution channel. In his view, they’re the foundation of how movies are meant to be experienced, and he’s not convinced Netflix would protect that future if it ends up owning WBD.
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Shop 4K UHD Blu-ray players on AmazonNetflix, for its part, has tried to calm fears that it would hollow out traditional theatrical releases. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos has publicly insisted that if Netflix were to acquire WBD, the company would keep a 45-day theatrical window for films from the Warner Bros. slate—an assurance many theater owners reportedly view with skepticism.
Cameron’s letter targets the “business model” clash
Those concerns escalated after Cameron sent a letter to Utah Senator Mike Lee, who chairs the Senate subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights. CNBC reported that it obtained and published the letter, dated February 10, in which Cameron warned that a Netflix takeover would be “disastrous” for the theatrical-first approach he believes the movie business depends on.
Cameron wrote that his decades-long directing career has centered on films built for theatrical exhibition, calling the cinema experience “an important pillar of our culture.” He framed his argument less as nostalgia and more as a fundamental mismatch: Netflix’s streaming-first incentives, he suggested, run counter to the economic and creative engine that powers big-budget theatrical filmmaking.
The 45-day promise — and why Cameron doesn’t buy it
A major theme in Cameron’s letter is enforcement. Even if Netflix promises a 45-day run today, Cameron questioned what would stop the company from gradually shrinking that commitment over time—and who, if anyone, would hold it accountable.
He also pointed to earlier reporting and rumors that referenced a shorter theatrical window (including a 17-day figure that circulated in prior coverage), arguing that the details have felt fluid enough to make theater operators uneasy. Netflix disputes that characterization, and Sarandos has pushed back hard on the idea that he ever endorsed a 17-day release window.
Sarandos fires back and accuses Paramount of “disinformation”
After the letter became public, Sarandos responded in an interview on Fox Business’ The Claman Countdown. He said he met with Cameron in late December and reiterated Netflix’s 45-day theatrical commitment for the Warner Brothers film slate, adding that he had also stated that position publicly “countless times.”
Sarandos went further, accusing Cameron of being drawn into what he described as a Paramount-driven misinformation effort around the deal. He also insisted, “I have never even uttered the words ’17-day window,’” and said he had affirmed Netflix’s position under oath during Senate subcommittee proceedings.
Where this lands next may come down to regulators, deal structure, and whether Netflix can convince both lawmakers and the exhibition industry that “theatrical-first” won’t quietly become “theatrical-optional.”