As times change, and technology evolves so do people’s behaviors and habits. In recent years, subjects such as our diminishing attention span, doomscrolling, and other similar concerns have been a very popular topic of discussion, and for good reason.

These issues make themselves quite evident in the way we consume content—even the fact that terms like content and consumption make sense in conversations regarding art— with many prominent figures of the film industry criticizing the direction of modern TV and cinema.

Back in 2019, it was legendary director Martin Scorsese dismissing the overwhelming rise of superhero movies as “not cinema”, while more recently, a number of famous actors have raised concerns over how companies like Netflix influence the way TV shows and films are currently made, a subject we’ll circle back to.

In the later months of 2025, Warner Bros received several acquisition proposals, with Netflix and Paramount emerging as the biggest two competitors. The two colossi of the industry have gone all-in to acquire the vast arsenal of assets that Warner Bros owns the rights to. This includes Warner Bros Pictures, HBO, HBO Max, DC Entertainment and many other popular franchises and platforms.

Naturally, both conglomerates are hell-bent on making Warner Bros part of their own entertainment empires, which has caused friction among individuals, shareholders, and people involved in the industry at any capacity.

With large-scale acquisitions being a carefully regulated reality of the 2020s, understandably, many people have voiced their concerns about what yet another multi-billion dollar buyout would mean for the future of cinema, TV, and entertainment as a whole.

So, why would it be such a bad thing for a massive streaming service like Netflix to acquire the rights to Warner Bros?

While it would be unfair to outright declare this acquisition—should it go through—a disaster of any sort, there are some real concerns that come with art being monopolized. 

Viewers across the globe have been highly critical of the way Netflix has been handling its assets, with many shows being axed before having the chance to tell the story they intended, while others being stretched season after season due to their popularity, until they become an unrecognizable husk of their former glory.

Netflix’s film production planning has also been heavily questioned as many of its productions feel samey and often unambitious, opting for blockbuster action without much else.

Naturally, this on its own doesn’t constitute an issue, as action films have always attracted large audiences, but to the best of them, there is much more than just car chases and explosions.

In a recent interview, Matt Damon, star of Netflix’s latest action feature ‘The Rip’ commented on his experience working on a Netflix production, raising some alarming issues.

In the aforementioned interview, Damon stated that Netflix demanded a big action piece within the first five minutes of the movie so that viewers would stay tuned in. Understandably, decisions made on business and economic criteria instead of artistic ones, compromise the film’s integrity. For example, staples of the action genre like Die Hard or John Wick, allow the audience some time to connect, relate, and understand their protagonists before jumping into high-octane action, making every twist and turn much more meaningful.

But, this speaks to a larger problem that Damon also addresses. According to him, they were asked to repeat crucial plot points of the film in their dialogue to cater for audiences who are listening in the background or are scrolling through their social media feed during the movie. This claim makes much sense, and it is very easy to spot with a little attention, as it’s a method that’s been implemented across the entirety of Netflix’s catalog, as even their biggest product, Stranger Things, could not escape this avalanche of over-expository dialogue.

Not trusting your audience to engage with your movie and understand its message, will inevitably lead to movies being treated as marketing objects instead of thought-provoking art pieces meant to make us understand ourselves and each other better.

Combine that with Netflix’s erratic handling of long-term projects, and their insistence to replace the theater experience with mindless binging, and you get a highly worrying recipe for the future of cinema as we know it.