How the Warner Bros. Netflix deal impacts live theatre
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*If cinema is questioning its future, theatre is quietly showing us what still works.*
The shockwaves from Netflix’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery extend far beyond Hollywood boardrooms. At stake isn’t just who owns *Harry Potter* or the DC Universe, but rather the future of shared cultural experience, and whether audiences will continue to gather in public spaces to watch stories unfold together. In this moment of uncertainty for cinema, **theatre offers a powerful reminder of what still draws people out of their homes**.
While Netflix has promised that Warner Bros. films will still play in cinemas, the company is signalling that traditional theatrical windows will “evolve,” a hint at shorter exclusivity or hybrid release patterns that worry theatre owners and audiences alike.
For film lovers, going to the cinema has always been about more than watching a film. It is a shared experience, collective reactions in a darkened room, and a sense of occasion. That experience has been under strain since the pandemic, and the growing dominance of streaming platforms risks accelerating the shift. With fewer releases and shorter cinema windows, industry groups warn that theatres could become unsustainable, weakening local cultural hubs and the communities around them.
Theatre, however, continues to show that audiences will still gather when the experience is unmistakably live, communal and worth leaving the house for.
### **Why Theatre Still Brings Us Together**
Theatre and cinema share a fundamental similarity: they are rituals of assembly. Unlike the isolating experience of watching content alone on a device, both forms depend on a gathering of strangers in a shared space - a fleeting but meaningful sense of community. London’s theatres, from the West End to pub theatres and fringe spaces, thrive on this mutual presence. Audiences report that theatre fosters connection, reflection, and even [emotional well-being](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/news/emotional-impact-of-live-theatre/) in a way that solitary screen time rarely does.[ ](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/news/emotional-impact-of-live-theatre?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
The threat to cinemas from the streaming model raises two important questions for the world of theatre.
### **Is the shift to streaming a symptom of a broader cultural move toward privatised entertainment?**
If blockbuster films increasingly bypass cinema runs, screen-based leisure at home becomes more appealing. **Theatre must continue to champion the value of live, communal experience, not simply as an alternative form of entertainment, but as a vital part of cultural life that enriches public space and civic identity**. It’s how we can strengthen communal identity and the way we can experience culture together.
### **What lessons does the cinema debate hold for live theatre?**
This debate goes beyond cinema revenue. It concerns visibility and cultural importance. Blockbuster films pull audiences into city-centre venues and encourage a habit of going out. Theatre, faced with constant competition from screens at home, must continue making the case for live experience, from shared presence to the energy and unpredictability of a performance that only happens once.
Cinema owners argue that theatres are community anchors - places where people spend evenings together, then walk to dinner or talk about what they’ve seen. Film exhibition supports local ecology: restaurants, transport, even local identity.[ ](https://www.boxofficepro.com/exhibitors-voice-concerns-as-netflix-announces-acquisition-of-warner-bros/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Theatre broadens this narrative: live theatre is a cornerstone of cultural districts, bringing people together in ways that foster connection and belonging. Moreover, communal experience defies algorithmic isolation. When a theatre seats hundreds (or thousands), those audiences share a public moment, not an individually curated stream.
### **A Call to Celebrate Presence**
The cinema industry’s anxiety about streaming points to a wider cultural challenge: how to make physical presence matter in a world that increasingly favours ease, comfort and individual choice. And yet, recent successes suggest that shared experiences still hold powerful appeal. The film adaptation of [*Wicked*](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/musical/wicked-tickets), built on the popularity of its stage origins, has translated theatrical fandom into box office success, reminding audiences that stories rooted in live performance can still draw crowds when presented as cultural events
As theatre streaming grows and cinemas increasingly screen live or recorded productions, the lines between stage and screen continue to blur. These formats widen access, but they also highlight what audiences value most: a sense of occasion, and the feeling of being part of something larger than the screen in front of them.
London’s theatre landscape, from sold-out West End musicals to bold new work in intimate rooms, continues to demonstrate this. When we gather in the same space, we choose to witness, to react, and to be moved together. That shared ritual remains theatre’s greatest strength, one that live performance renews each night as the curtain rises, and one that cinema, in its own moment of uncertainty, is still searching to preserve.