Tom's Top 3: December 10, 2025
The Death and Revival of Movie Theaters
Hi everyone! Welcome to this week’s installment of Tom’s Top 3 Tuesdays, where I highlight three pieces of content (Podcasts/Shows/Songs/Articles/etc.) that I found interesting or noteworthy from the prior week.
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I’m sorry for being a day late. I spent 5 hours at the cinema yesterday watching Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, and I underestimated the effect this marathon of a movie would have on my day… and health.
That said, I highly suggest going to see it if you love Tarantino. Movies are back!! Well, maybe not. Read on.
[Podcast] The Daily - Netflix vs. Paramount: Inside the Epic Battle Over Warner Brothers
I gotta be honest, Netflix buying Warner Bros was definitely not on my Bingo card for 2025.
Fresh off his merger with Paramount, David Ellison probably thought they had Warner Bros in the bag once David Zaslav put up the ‘For Sale’ sign. Paramount-Skydance was the only real buyer who was interested in all of WBD (including the D, for Discovery), whereas the other potential buyers only wanted the studio and streaming assets. Add in Daddy Ellison’s credit card and Trump’s backing, it’s over.
That is… until Netflix entered the picture. Netflix offered $30 a share for just Warner Bros, which is technically a higher bid.
This podcast does a great job of getting everyone up to speed on the story and the potential ramifications if this deal does go through. But it is far from over. Paramount is attempting a hostile takeover, going straight to the WBD shareholders.
This will all get sorted out over the coming months (years?). I really feel bad for the WBD employees who still have to go about their workdays as if their new overlords aren’t going to axe half the company once the deal is closed.
Strategically, this could be checkmate for Netflix. If they are able to land this deal, they would take HBO off the board and have access to Warner Bros’ treasure chest of franchises and IP (DC, Harry Potter, Barbie, Lord of the Rings, etc.). The streaming war might be over.
Despite this reality, Netflix’s stock has actually dropped since this news broke. In addition to Wall Street, the creative community is not excited about this development either. The worry is that not only would there be one less buyer for content, but there is a good chance that Netflix does not commit to theatrical releases over the long term. This could spell the end of the theater business.
One final nail in the coffin, with a loud “tudum.”
If you love movie theaters, and you’re sad about the Warner Bros news, you will be happy to read this article regarding the revival of the legendary Westwood Village Theater.
A coalition of top directors, led by Jason Reitman, are bringing the theater back to its former glory, and American Cinematheque will handle the programming and day-to-day. AC is awesome. They program a blend of new and old movies/TV across their three locations in LA: The Aero, The Los Feliz 3, and The Egyptian.
The article paints a rosy picture of the plans for the Westwood Village Theater:
The remodeled venue is expected to host special screenings with in-person conversations, premieres, awards-season events, new releases, repertory titles and an expanded slate of AC’s signature festivals, including Beyond Fest, Bleak Week, This Is Not a Fiction and Ultra Cinematheque 70 Fest. The Village has been a showcase for Hollywood premieres since its opening in 1931, a tradition the partners say they intend to continue.
[Product] Lesure Cat Tunnel
Maybe you’ve seen this product all over social media. We did. And we bought it.
It’s so fun. Part tunnel, part bed. We are currently using it as our Christmas tree skirt, and our cat (and dog) love it.
It’s on sale right now, purrrrfect for the holidays.
If you made it to this point, drop a comment to say hi. And as always, please like and consider sharing with a friend who you think would enjoy! I’ll be back next week. ✌️
1️⃣ ❤️. But the kitty tunnel was a close second!