James Cameron Reveals His Concerns About Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal

Avatar director James Cameron has come out to share his views on the much-discussed deal between Netflix and Warner Bros., admitting that the acquisition could have long-lasting and adverse effects on the theatrical experience. In a recent interview, the Academy Award winner opened up about how the agreement between the two media giants could change the very framework of cinema, confirming that plans to stick to the conventional approach, irrespective of what happens.

James Cameron thinks Netflix wants ‘to replace theatrical’ with Warner Bros. deal

The Titanic director stated that Netflix’s buyout of Warner Bros. threatens to replace the big-screen experience for movies with streaming.

While James Cameron admitted to Deadline that Netflix has helped “filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro and so on to keep a foot in theatrical,” he added that “it’s no secret that they want to replace theatrical.”

“OK, I mean, maybe that happens, I don’t know, maybe I’m a dinosaur,” Cameron continued. “I happen to think that there’s something sacred about the movie-going experience, and just the ease and broad access of streaming is not the complete answer. Maybe the universe adjusts around those two principles, but you can’t just steamroll theatrical out of existence, and I’m going to stay opposed to that.”

Despite his reservations regarding the Warner Bros. deal, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker has hopes that Netflix could tweak its approach once it enters the theatrical side of the entertainment industry. “Now, maybe Netflix modifies its game once it has the responsibility for the survival of theatrical as well…This is going to sort itself out, but I’m pretty four-square on the side of let’s keep that theatrical experience alive. Clearly, I make movies for that, primarily,” he remarked.

Shifting focus to his upcoming Avatar sequel, Fire and Ash, Cameron highlighted the importance of witnessing the spectacle on the big screen. He explained that one can only enjoy it the best “in a theater in 3D, in an unbroken stream of consciousness, three hours long.” This is because “the second you’ve got a remote and you can pause it, you just lost half of the impact.”

Meanwhile, James Cameron’s Avatar 3 is currently on track to hit theaters on December 19, 2025.

Source: Comingsoon.net