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has slammed the and Warner Bros.
In a deal estimated at $82.7 billion, the streamer is in talks to take over Warner Bros.' film and TV studios, as well as and HBO Max.
The Titanic director, 71, responded to the possible acquisition by sending a letter to Senator Mike Lee, who is the chair of the subcommittee on antitrust, stating the merger could have 'disastrous' ramifications for the film and movie theatre industry.
'My 44-year directing career has been focused on making movies for theatrical exhibition, and I believe strongly that seeing movies in theaters is an important pillar of our culture, to say nothing of being one of our biggest exports, in purely economic terms,' he said, as per CNBC.
'But the cinema marketplace has contracted sharply in recent years, by about 30%, due to media consumption habit-patterns changing as a result of the Covid pandemic and the concurrent rise of streaming.'
'I believe strongly that the proposed sale of Warner Brothers Discovery to Netflix will be disastrous for the theatrical motion picture business that I have dedicated my life’s work to,' Cameron added.
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Titanic director James Cameron, 71, has slammed the possible merger of Netflix and Warner Bros; Pictured in 2022
The acclaimed filmmaker said that the merger could have 'disastrous' ramifications for the film and movie theatre industry, as franchises surrounding characters like Superman could be absorbed into Netflix's catalog
'Of course, my films all play in the downstream video markets as well, but my first love is the cinema.'
Cameron further noted prior comments by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who claimed that movie theaters were 'an outdated concept' and an 'outmoded idea,' while declaring that, 'Driving folks to a theater is just not our business.'
'The business model of Netflix is directly at odds with the theatrical film production and exhibition business, which employs hundreds of thousands of Americans,' Cameron wrote in his letter.
In a deal estimated at $82.7 billion, Netflix is in talks to take over Warner Bros.' film and TV studios, as well as HBO and HBO Max; Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is pictured in 2026
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'My 44-year directing career has been focused on making movies for theatrical exhibition, and I believe strongly that seeing movies in theaters is an important pillar of our culture,' Cameron wrote
'The business model of Netflix is directly at odds with the theatrical film production and exhibition business, which employs hundreds of thousands of Americans,' the filmmaker added; Pictured with Kate Winslet in 2022
Mark Ruffalo fired back to Cameron's letter on X, suggesting that if he has concerns about monopolization, he should also be against Paramount acquiring Warner Bros; Ruffalo seen in 2023
'The next question to Mr Cameron should be this… “Are you also against the monopolization that a Paramount acquisition would create? Or is it just that of Netflix?”' he wrote
Actor Mark Ruffalo fired back to Cameron's letter on X, suggesting that if he has concerns about monopolization, he should also be against Paramount acquiring Warner Bros.
