Wagner Moura, Amy Madigan address concerns about Warner Bros. and Netflix deal at New York FCC

Rose Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wagner Moura, Amy Madigan and Josh Safdie were among the honorees gathered at Tao Downtown in New York City on Tuesday night for the 91st New York Film Critics Circle Awards ceremony.

Byrne won the NYFCC Best Actress Award for her performance in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” In her acceptance speech, she talked about the challenges of centering complex female characters in films.

“It’s still a risk to put a compromising and challenging female character at the center of a movie,” she said on stage. “And I want the audience to consider her. ‘Legs’ urges us not to ignore this woman, this mother, this wife, this therapist who is making questionable choices in order to avoid some truly terrible choices.”

She also thanked director Mary Bronstein and the film’s producers for “agreeing to cast the girls in Bridesmaids.”

Earlier on the red carpet, Byrne spoke to Variety about Paul Feig, who directed Bridesmaids and recently had success with the thriller The Housemaid, starring Amanda Seyfried and Sidney Sweeney. The film has grossed an impressive $75.7 million in North America and $133 million worldwide to date, and a sequel was recently greenlit.

“I can’t wait to see it. Of course I’m late,” Byrne said of “The Housemaid.” “I try to see everything, but Paul is the biggest, sweetest, loveliest guy in the world and he knows how to lead a woman. He really is. He loves women so much.”

When asked about reuniting with Feig for the Housemaid sequel, Byrne replied, “I’m waiting to hear from you! I’ll let[Paul]know that I hear from you.”

Another notable work in 2025, “KPop Demon Hunters”, is also attracting expectations for a sequel. Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans attended the NYFCC Best Animated Film Award ceremony along with producer Michelle Wong.

Various media outlets have reported that Netflix and Sony have finalized a deal for the sequel, with plans to release the sequel in 2029, but producer Wong said, “I don’t know yet whether that has really been confirmed.”

She added, “We’re in the middle of awards season and we’re trying to focus on that. So once that’s over and we have some time, maybe? But there’s got to be a reason to put it in second place, but we don’t know that yet.”

There could be major changes in the industry in the near future, especially if Netflix moves forward with its acquisition of Warner Bros.

Kleber Mendonça Filho, director of “The Secret Agent” and winner of Best Foreign Language Film, told Variety that he thought such a merger was “a very bad idea” and that “theatre should be respected.”

“Too much power is concentrated in one place,” Filho said. “I’m not against streaming. In fact, I think it’s a great technology. In fact, I’m looking forward to the day ‘The Secret Agent’ comes out. But I’m just looking forward to it. Because I know I can do anything that can be shown theatrically. And I’m only thinking about making a theatrical movie. And then when the movie is finished in three, four, five months, I’ll be happy to promote that movie’s second life.” ”

Madigan, who had her breakout role as Aunt Gladys in Zack Creger’s Weapons, expressed similar concerns about Warner Bros.’ potential sale to Netflix.

“I worry about Netflix. And I know they have a lot of money, but I know we’re always being referred to as content, not movies or movies. And they’re very concerned about everyone being looked at things that way,” she told Variety. “I don’t know if that will happen, but it makes me nervous.”

She continued, “No matter what happens, a lot of people are going to lose their jobs and our industry is in a difficult situation right now, so I’m nervous too.”

Moura, who won the NYFCC Best Actor Award for “The Secret Agent,” said he hopes the deal does not affect theatrical releases, noting that watching a movie in a theater is a “completely different experience” than watching a movie at home.

“Both experiences are good, but you can’t erase one, right?” Moura said. He added: “Going to the theater with other people is an experience that we must continue to have. It’s a very magical experience and a very important experience.”

See the full list of 2025 NYFCC Award winners here.