BONUS EP: Netflix-WBD Panic & Chaos in a Hollywood ‘Looking for Some Answers’
Elaine Low, Natalie Jarvey, Sean McNulty and Lesley Goldberg all gathered Friday morning for a special live episode of Ankler Agenda to break down the repercussions of potentially the most significant piece of show business news this decade: Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. Top-line concerns include:
The thousands of lost jobs that will worsen unemployment in the industry — already at Depression-era levels
Whether movie theaters can survive the “consumer-friendly” windows Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos referenced in a Friday call with investors
Netflix’s potential new arsenal: all-star showrunners (J.J. Abrams, Greg Berlanti and Chuck Lorre, to name a few) and a gaming vertical at last
Downstream effects on linear syndication
The future of the peerless brand HBO
“Everybody is just shell-shocked,” Elaine said of the calls and texts she fielded all day. “The main reaction that I’ve been getting is that people are scared. People are nervous.”
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Enter The Warner Bros. Thunderdome
One studio to rule them all and in the darkness bind them: Netflix, Paramount Skydance and Comcast have submitted new bids to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, part or parcel. One’s got cash (Netflix), another’s got Saudi money (PSKY), but the question is: Who needs whom more? And which studio exec would be most palatable to the town as the new head of Warner Bros.’ TV and film studios — Ted Sarandos, David Ellison or Donna Langley? Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey suss out the latest (binding) bids for WBD and which combos make the most sense for the studios and for the health of Hollywood. Plus, the battle between idealistic Patreon and heavy-hitter Substack for writers and creators, and Richard Rushfield’s take on why anyone but a Hollywood studio should buy WBD.
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How ‘Wicked’ Women Saved the Movies
After ignoring weeks of theatrical disappointments, moviegoers fell under the spell of Wicked: For Good last weekend to the tune of almost $150 million in North America. Who does the industry have to thank for that total? Women, who made up 70 percent of the opening audience. Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey examine how the fairer sex have been largely underserved at the box office this year, while Vanity Fair’s all-bro Hollywood cover boys like Glen Powell (The Running Man) and Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere) struggled to pull their weight as movie stars. Plus, Prestige Junkie’s Katey Rich lays out the key storylines as the Oscar race heats up — including what she’s hearing from voters (nope, they still haven’t seen all the movies) and why Warner Bros. is sitting pretty with best picture frontrunners One Battle After Another and Sinners.
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The Clock Strikes Midnight for Warner Bros.
How long before Warner Bros. becomes another studio swallowed up by David Ellison? With final bids for WBD due this week, all eyes remain on Paramount Skydance — despite the Comcast and Netflix red herrings. Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey break down why a Paramount–Warners mash-up now feels less like speculation and more like destiny. Then Richard Rushfield reveals the whispers starting to circulate within the creative community about Ellison’s cozy ties to Donald Trump and how it might push back. Plus: As Disney becomes a luxury brand and even monthly streaming bills seem like an extravagance, has the middle-class been priced out of entertainment?
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BONUS EP: ‘The Rushfield Lunch’ with Mike De Luca & Pam Abdy on Making Box Office History in the Face of ‘Surreal’ Criticism
In this special bonus Ankler Agenda episode, Richard Rushfield chats with Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy about their journey to Warners, their record-breaking year at the box office and why their strategy paid off on hits from ‘Sinners’ to ‘Superman’ — all in the face of relentless negative headlines about their bold and risk-taking slate. With a combined 70 years of making movies, these two have seen it all — hits and flops, unexpected wins and surprising losses. But even now, with so many signs pointing to the contrary — and the fate of their studio in doubt, as it's officially up for sale — they both retain a sense of hope and wonder for the best that Hollywood can be.
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"Ankler Agenda" breaks down the headlines, trends and creativity shaping the evolution of Hollywood, the creator economy and entertainment.
The show is hosted by Elaine Low, author of Ankler Media’s popular “Series Business” Substack newsletter, who is joined weekly by her colleagues Sean McNulty (“The Wakeup”) and Natalie Jarvey (“Like & Subscribe”) -- in addition to Richard Rushfield, the Ankler himself. Episodes will also be available every Thursday on YouTube.
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