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Movie Theaters Want a Ted Sarandos Blood Oath

Regal’s Eduardo Acuna goes public with his pitch for Netflix to sign a 10-year binding pledge with the Trump D.O.J. (and other ideas), ensuring Sarandos won’t go back on his recent promise to give Warner Bros. movies a 45-day window. Offering Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ a wide release would help, too.

Ted Sarandos
Sarandos can make big promises now, but once this deal closes, there’s nothing to stop Netflix from backsliding after a couple years or even a couple months. Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix
Matthew Belloni
January 19, 2026
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Ted Sarandos really wants us to believe him. Pretty much since the morning after he signed the deal to buy Warner Bros., the Netflix co-C.E.O. has been asking anyone who will listen how he can convince them that he will continue to release Warners movies in theaters. Ted was keen to ask me when I bumped into him at a party over Golden Globes weekend, and others I’ve spoken with say he’s quizzed them similarly. He knows the town is skeptical of his plans for the studio, not to mention the regulators in this country and elsewhere who will scrutinize this $83 billion deal for many reasons, the impact on theaters among them.

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