Mark Ruffalo hit back at Prime Minister James Cameron on Saturday morning after the director wrote in a letter to Sen. Mike Leigh, chairman of the Senate antitrust subcommittee, that Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery would have “disastrous consequences for the theatrical film business.”
“So… my next question for Mr. Cameron will be this,” Ruffalo wrote in an Instagram thread. “‘Are you also opposed to the monopoly created by the Paramount acquisition? Or are you opposed to the exclusive monopoly of Netflix?'”
He continued: “I think the answer is very interesting to the film industry and something we should ask right away. Is Mike Leigh also against the sale of Paramount? Is he as concerned as he is about the sale of Netflix? We all want to know. I speak for hundreds of thousands of filmmakers around the world.”
Netflix is currently poised to acquire Warner Bros. Studios and HBO Max in a deal worth $83 billion. February 17th, W.B. Paramount Skydance has opened a seven-day window in which they can make a final push to put together a better offer. On March 20th, Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders will vote on the Netflix acquisition.
In a letter to Senator Lee, Prime Minister David Cameron said that if Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery were approved, “theaters would close, fewer films would be made and there would be a spiral of job losses.”
“Netflix’s business model is in direct conflict with the theatrical film production and screening business, which employs hundreds of thousands of Americans,” he added. “This is therefore in direct conflict with the business model of the film division of Warner Bros., one of the few major film studios in existence.”
In a recent interview with Variety, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos emphasized the “blood oath” that Warner Bros.’ theatrical expansion strategy is “pretty much the same as it is today.”
He said, “Listeners can look at us now and cut their fingers and take a blood oath together.”
