Ted Sarandos says Netflix will stick to theatrical releases for 45 days

Although Netflix plans to do so Buy Warner Bros. Discovery Raising concerns about how the deal might hurt the movie theater business, the streaming company’s co-CEO says there is nothing to worry about.

In a new interview with New York Times, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said that if the WBD acquisition goes through, the streamer will commit to 45-day theatrical release windows for upcoming releases from the legacy studio. Sarandos insisted that Netflix has no intention of disrupting its “massive, multi-billion dollar theatrical distribution engine” and that he believes there is value in the cinema experience.

“I’m giving you a hard number,” Sarandos said. “If we’re going to be in the theatrical business, and we are, we’re competitive people — we want to win. I want to win on the opening weekend. I want to win at the box office.”

Sarandos though He said previously Since Netflix’s plan has always been to stick with “traditional” release windows, the streamer has not commented publicly on how many days it plans to show projects in theaters. This uncertainty — and Sarandos’ comments last April about movie theaters being “obsolete” — has led many to speculate that the company may begin accelerating new features for streaming while leaving movie theater owners in the lurch. But in the new interview, Sarandos said his previous comments were taken out of context, and that he was just trying to point out that going to movie theaters isn’t possible for everyone.

“I mean, like that city Sinners “It’s supposed to be set in a place where there’s no movie theater there,” Sarandos said. “For these people, it’s definitely outdated. You wouldn’t get in the car and go to the next town to see a movie.”

Sarandos is right that the density of movie theaters is not uniform everywhere. and last yearMichael O’Leary – chief executive of theatrical trade association Cinema United – said 45-day theatrical release windows are a new baseline the industry needs for continued success. But this acquisition could send a signal to audiences that they can simply stay home and wait for new releases to become available on Netflix. Even if the new company adheres to this new standard, it could still be bad for the industry as a whole.