James Cameron has urged Senate antitrust leaders to scrutinize Netflix’s proposed purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets, warning that the deal could speed up a contraction in theatrical filmmaking and ripple into jobs across the production pipeline. In a letter to Sen. Mike Lee, the Utah Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, Cameron wrote that the transaction would be “disastrous for the theatrical motion picture business” and argued that fewer large-scale films would be greenlit if the market tightens further.
Cameron framed the issue as an employment and infrastructure question, pointing to the crews and vendors that support tentpole production. He warned of cascading effects—“Theaters will close,” he wrote, adding that job losses could “spiral” and that service providers such as visual effects companies could fail if theatrical slates shrink.
Netflix has tried to counter that narrative in Washington and on the deal circuit. At a Feb. 3 Senate hearing on the transaction, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said Netflix would commit to a 45-day theatrical window for Warner Bros. releases and argued the company intends to compete in theaters rather than retreat from them. Netflix has also said it expects regulatory review but believes the merger can clear, casting the market as a broader fight for attention that includes YouTube.
Industry groups and unions have lined up with their own warnings. Cinema United told senators the acquisition could cause “direct and irreversible negative impact on movie theatres,” and the Writers Guild of America called for regulators to block the deal.
The debate is unfolding while Warner weighs rival pressure. The company recently reopened talks with Paramount Skydance for a limited period after receiving a waiver from Netflix, even as Warner’s board continues to recommend the Netflix transaction ahead of a March 20 shareholder vote.
