--- title: "James Cameron Warns Netflix–WBD Deal Would Be A 'Sinking Ship' Moment For Theatrical Film Business" description: "James Cameron has voiced concerns over Netflix's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, warning it could lead to job losses and harm the theatrical film industry. In a letter to Senator Mike " type: "news" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/276449484.md" published_at: "2026-02-20T13:41:47.000Z" --- # James Cameron Warns Netflix–WBD Deal Would Be A 'Sinking Ship' Moment For Theatrical Film Business > James Cameron has voiced concerns over Netflix's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, warning it could lead to job losses and harm the theatrical film industry. In a letter to Senator Mike Lee, he described the potential fallout as a 'sinking ship' moment for cinemas. The Department of Justice is investigating the deal's impact on theaters, while Netflix has made a $27.75 per share offer, facing competition from Paramount's $31 per share bid. Analysts suggest Netflix may still prevail in the bidding war. “Titanic” and “Avatar” director **James Cameron** has reportedly expressed his apprehensions about **Netflix**‘s (NASDAQ:NFLX) proposed purchase of **Warner Bros. Discovery**‘s (NASDAQ:WBD) film studio in a letter. Cameron sent a letter to Sen. **Mike Lee** (R-Utah) last week, cautioning that the acquisition could lead to significant job losses in Hollywood and fundamentally change the U.S. theatrical landscape. He also expressed concerns about the potential negative impact on one of America’s largest export sectors, CNBC reported on Thursday. In his letter, Cameron cautioned that a sale of Warner Bros. Discovery to Netflix would severely damage the theatrical film business, to which he has devoted his career. While acknowledging his films' success in streaming markets, he likened the potential fallout for cinemas to a "sinking ship." Sen. Lee, who leads the Senate antitrust subcommittee, held a February 3 hearing on the proposed Netflix–Warner Bros. deal, after which Cameron sent a letter; Netflix co-CEO **Ted Sarandos** and a WBD executive testified at the session. In its testimony, Netflix highlighted its planned $20 billion global film and TV spending for 2026, mostly in the U.S., and said a potential deal would boost, not cut, production investment, backed by a stronger combined company and expanded studio facilities. ## All Eyes On Netflix On Wednesday, a report said that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is currently probing the impact of Warner Bros. Discovery’s potential sale on theatre businesses and has summoned some of the largest theatre chain owners in the country to assess the outcome. On Thursday, reports noted that Netflix has plenty of cash available to raise its bid for Warner Bros. Netflix has offered $27.75 per share, valuing Warner Bros’ studio and streaming assets at $82.7 billion. It has time until February 23 to match **Paramount SkyDance** **Corp**‘s (NASDAQ:PSKY) revised offer to purchase Warner Bros. Paramount’s informal offer of $31 per share has piqued the interest of WBD’s board. Notably, Warner Bros is still preparing for a March 20 shareholder vote on Netflix’s offer. On the other hand, **Gary Black**, a market analyst, expects Netflix to “emerge as victor” in the contest. However, he added that even in a scenario where Paramount succeeds in clinching the deal, Netflix shares could rebound toward the $100. ***Disclaimer:*** *This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.* *Image via Shutterstock* ### Related Stocks - [NFXS.US - Direxion Daily NFLX Bear 1X Shares](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NFXS.US.md) - [NFXL.US - Direxion Daily NFLX Bull 2X Shares](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NFXL.US.md) - [NFLU.US - T-REX 2X Long NFLX Daily Target ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NFLU.US.md) - [NFLW.US - Roundhill NFLX WeeklyPay ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NFLW.US.md) - [WBD.US - Warner Bros. Discovery](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WBD.US.md) - [NFLX.US - Netflix](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NFLX.US.md) - [PARAA.US - Paramount Global](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/PARAA.US.md) - [PARA.US - Paramount Global](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/PARA.US.md) ## Related News & Research | Title | Description | URL | |-------|-------------|-----| | 彭博新闻报道，美国司法部正在调查华纳兄弟计划出售对影院的影响 | 美国司法部正在调查华纳兄弟探索公司出售对影院的潜在影响，并与主要影院连锁进行沟通以获取见解。此次调查的重点是出售可能如何影响电影发行。华纳兄弟最近拒绝了派拉蒙斯凯丹公司每股 30 美元的收购要约，但允许一周时间以便提出更好的报价。与此同时， | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276285286.md) | | 加州总检察长罗伯·邦塔就派拉蒙环球或奈飞拟收购华纳兄弟发表声明 | 加利福尼亚州检察长罗布·邦塔就派拉蒙或奈飞拟收购华纳兄弟发表声明 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276470088.md) | | 据报道，派拉蒙提高至 30 美元的报价使 Netflix 以 27.75 美元收购华纳兄弟的交易面临风险，董事会正在权衡是否进行第二次对决 | 华纳兄弟探索公司正在考虑派拉蒙环球提出的每股 30 美元的收购要约，这可能会危及其与奈飞达成的每股 27.75 美元的现有协议。派拉蒙的修订报价包括支付 28 亿美元的解约费，如果华纳兄弟取消与奈飞的协议。这种情况可能会导致竞标战，因为股东 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276031118.md) | | 华纳兄弟拒绝了派拉蒙的修订报价，但给了该工作室一周的时间来协商更好的交易 | 华纳兄弟拒绝了派拉蒙每股 30 美元的收购提议，但给了派拉蒙一周的时间来协商更好的报价。派拉蒙非正式地提出每股 31 美元的报价，这可能会吸引华纳兄弟考虑。华纳兄弟仍然致力于与奈飞的合并，股东投票定于 3 月 20 日进行。与派拉蒙的接触标 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276119742.md) | | 随着奈飞交易的推进，Warner Bros. 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