Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is firing back at James Cameron‘s endorsement of Paramount in the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery.
In an interview on FOX Business Network’s The Claman Countdown, Sarandos challenged remarks from Cameron to lawmakers undermining Netflix’s pledge to keep Warner Bros. movies in theaters. “I’m particularly surprised and disappointed that James chose to be part of the Paramount disinformation campaign that’s been going on for months about this deal,” he said.
Sarandos’ response came after Cameron sent a letter to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) arguing that allowing Netflix to purchase the studio will deal a disastrous blow to movie theaters and weaken an essential cog of the Hollywood machinery in a way that will lead to substantial job losses. The director claimed that Sarandos plans to pursue a 17-day theatrical window despite the Netflix exec saying he will keep Warner Bros. movies in theaters for 45 days.
“I have never even uttered the words ’17-day window. So I don’t know where it came from or why he would be part of that machine,” Sarandos replied, referring to what he considers spin or outright lies from Paramount to curry favor with lawmakers and the public.
“Movies go into the theaters for 45 days, a healthy, robust slate of films every year, that is going to continue,” he said. “This deal is contingent on that for us to — for it to work.”
The duration of movies played in theaters, as well as the quantity, has emerged as a major talking points in the jockeying for Warner Bros. While the government’s main focus has been Netflix’s dominance in streaming, it’s also pressed the company on what will happen to Warner Bros. movies if it were to acquire the company. If theaters see less business, the entire industry will suffer, Cameron wrote in the letter.
Going on the offensive, Sarandos stressed Paramount targeting of up to $6 billion in cost savings. He said that figure will balloon to $16 billion “in very short order,” which will lead to job cuts and the company potentially making fewer movies.
A major talking point for Netflix has been its investment in the entertainment industry, including $20 billion in production spending in 2026, most of which will be spent in America. On this, Sarandos stressed Netflix is moving seven productions that were planned to shoot overseas to New Jersey, where the money will trickle across the hospitality, transportation and food industries, among others. Netflix currently has 11 films filming in the state. “We’ve put together a production incentive in the State of New Jersey that competes with every other country in the world, that will strengthen the American economy,” he said.
On Friday, Sarandos sent a letter to Lee responding to Cameron’s earlier correspondence.
