Netflix’s Ted Sarandos Responded After James Cameron Blasted The Streamer’s Warner Bros. Deal

One of the biggest topics of discussion within Hollywood over the past few months has been Netflix’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery. Ultimately, WB accepted the streamer’s near-$83 billion bid, though Paramount Skydance is still making efforts to acquire the studio itself. All the while, many industry professionals have been weighing in on the potential ramifications of the deal, and director James Cameron recently shared some blunt thoughts. With that, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos issued a response to the filmmaker's take.

What Did James Cameron Say About The WB/Netflix Deal?

Cameron recently wrote a letter to Utah senator Mike Lee, who oversees the Senate’s subcommittee on antitrust. Lee and that governing body held a hearing earlier this month, during which they discussed the potential effects of the WB/Netflix merger with Sarandos. When addressing Lee, Cameron didn’t hold back his feelings and cited Sarandos for calling movie theaters “an outdated concept” and an “outmoded idea.” Cameron also shared the following thoughts on the matter:

Throughout his career, James Cameron has championed quality theatrical experiences, and his comments seem to mirror concerns that some of his other peers seem to have about the WB sale. Something that seems to give the Avatar filmmaker pause is the notion of a very small theatrical window and, in his letter (which was shared with Deadline), he claimed Ted Sarandos and co. wanted to commit to a 17-day window for films to play in theaters. Sarandos responded to that claim and shared more sentiments when issuing his reaction.

How Ted Sarandos Responded To James Cameron’s Criticisms

Just recently, Sarandos also wrote a letter of his own to Mike Lee in response to Cameron’s take on his company’s multi-billion dollar deal. Sarandos showed reverence to Cameron early in his letter (which Deadline obtained) and also expressed his love for Cameron’s filmography. However, the exec went on to weigh in on why the Oscar winner’s claims were inaccurate:

Ted Sarandos also shared alleged details regarding the meeting he and his colleagues at Netflix had with James Cameron after the deal was announced in December 2025. And, according to Sarandos, Cameron was supposedly more interested in discussing another topic than theatrical windows:

Sarandos also expressed his displeasure with Cameron’s letter while appearing on the Fox Business program The Claman Countdown. The co-CEO, who’s spoken about the viability of movie theaters in the past, said he was “particularly surprised and disappointed that James chose to be part of the Paramount disinformation campaign that's been going on for months about this deal.”

Paramount is indeed still trying to buy Warner Bros. Discovery months after the David Ellison-headed company tried to launch a hostile takeover bid. That attempt as well as subsequent bids have been rejected. More recently, Paramount filed a lawsuit in an attempt to have Netflix disclose financial information regarding its decision to buy WB. Netflix execs subsequently chastised Paramount Skydance for its continued attempts to derail the WB deal.

All the while, filmmakers still seem to be processing the prospect of Netflix acquiring Warner Bros. Oscar-winning director Sean Baker reacted to the deal, saying that “filmmakers have to put our foot down” in the hope of expanding theatrical windows. Directors Guild of America President Christopher Nolan also expressed uncertainty about the road head. Time will tell how this major deal plays out and how other directors like Nolan or James Cameron might respond.