LOS ANGELES, January 16, 2026
Netflix Commits to 45-Day Theatrical Window for Warner Bros. Films
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The streaming giant is betting on the big screen, ensuring future blockbusters like “The Batman Part II” will have a significant run in cinemas.
- Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos revealed a firm 45-day theatrical window for Warner Bros. films following the company’s acquisition of the studio’s distribution arm.
- Sarandos stated the decision was based on a positive assessment of the theatrical business’s economics, which exceeded initial expectations.
- Netflix doesn’t view theatrical releases as competition, believing they can actually *boost* interest in streaming content.
- Films like The Minecraft Movie and Superman influenced the decision.
If you’re planning a movie night sometime in 2025, you can thank this news. Netflix will give future Warner Bros. films a 45-day exclusive run in theaters, according to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who shared the information in a recent interview with the New York Times. This means upcoming titles like The Batman Part II, The Brave and the Bold, World’s Greatest, and even films without a caped crusader will benefit from a longer stay on the big screen.
A Change of Heart Driven by Data
“When this deal closes, we will own a theatrical distribution engine that is phenomenal and produces billions of dollars of theatrical revenue that we don’t want to put at risk,” Sarandos told the Times. “We will run that business largely like it is today, with 45-day windows. I’m giving you a hard number. If we’re going to be in the theatrical business, and we are, we’re competitive people—we want to win. I want to win opening weekend. I want to win box office.”
Sarandos had previously indicated a commitment to keeping Warner Bros. movies in theaters, but hadn’t specified a duration. The decision solidified as Netflix delved deeper into the acquisition process. “The opportunity to get into the books and understand the business model better, and what we saw there was that there’s a real there there for us,” he said. “The general economics of the theatrical business were more positive than we had seen and we had modeled for ourselves. It’s a healthy, profitable business for them. We weren’t in that business not because we hated it. We weren’t in that business because our business was doing so well.”
The Netflix team’s assessment likely factored in the performance of recent releases like The Minecraft Movie, Sinners, Superman, Final Destination Bloodlines, and The Conjuring: Last Rites. Had the sale of Warner Bros. occurred after 2024’s releases—including Furiosa, Joker: Folie à Deux, and Horizon—this shift in strategy might not have been as apparent.
Theaters and Streaming: Not Rivals, But Partners
Sarandos also addressed a common misconception about Netflix’s view of theaters. “I would say one of the other myths about all this is that we thought of going to the theaters as competition for Netflix. It absolutely is not,” he said. “When you go out to see a movie in the theater, if it was a good movie, when you come home, the first thing you want to do is watch another movie. If anything, I think it helps, you know, encourage the love of films.”
“You have to give them something to watch,” he added. “And I think we’ve got to take ownership of the idea that when people are excited to go out and see something, they go. You’ve seen it in some really nice upside at the box office this year. You’ve seen it in our Stranger Things finale experience. You saw it in our KPop Demon Hunters experience with people. You give people a reason to leave the house, they will gladly leave the house.”
While a 45-day window is shorter than some industry traditionalists might prefer, it represents a significant commitment to theatrical exhibition from the world’s leading streaming service.
