Hollywood's Big Shift: What Netflix's Deal Means for Movies

France's top cinema official, Gaëtan Bruel, isn't happy about Netflix's big move to buy Warner Bros Discovery. He shared his thoughts at the Red Sea Film Festival. Bruel worries this deal could hurt movie theaters. He thinks Netflix might show fewer movies in theaters. This has been a problem before when Disney bought Fox. Bruel pointed out that movie attendance has dropped a lot. In 2019, people bought 8 billion tickets worldwide. Last year, it was less than 5 billion. That's a big drop! He also said Netflix only uses theaters to promote its streaming service. They don't really support theaters the way they should. But not everyone is worried. Julie La'Bassiere, a strategy expert, thinks this could be good for independent filmmakers. She hopes they'll get more creative and make unique content. Ali Jaafar, a film division head, agrees. He thinks local producers in the Middle East could have new opportunities. If Netflix takes HBO content off OSN, they might need local shows to fill the gap. So, while some people are concerned, others see this as a chance for new voices in film. It's a mix of worries and hopes for the future of movies.