Netflix’s Warner Bros. Takeover Sparks Concerns in France as Exhibitors Brace for Impact on Theatrical Model

Key Highlights

• I Have Nothing to Prove’ 2 days ago See All Netflix: Michael Buckner; Warner Bros: Mario Tama/ Netflix’s stunning $83 billion takeover of Warner Bros., announced yesterday, sent French exhibitors into high alert in a market where Warner Bros.
• — alongside Disney and Universal — drive the local box office.
• France is simultaneously Netflix’s strongest international markets and one of its most combative, shaped by the country’s tough regulatory environment for streamers.
• The windowing rules – which force Netflix to wait 15 months after movies are theatrically released before being able to roll them out on its platform — have long caused tensions between Netflix and French exhibitors.
• It’s also the reason why the streamer deserted Cannes after the 2017 edition, when the festival set theatrical requirements that effectively keep Netflix films out of competition.