James Cameron Says Netflix Movies Don’t Belong in the Oscar Race – Here’s Why

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Director James Cameron has shared his thoughts on the ongoing debate about Netflix’s role in the film industry, stating he believes the Academy Awards should continue to recognize films released in cinemas.

I was listening to an interview recently, and the guy was talking about the buzz around Netflix potentially buying Warner Bros. He also brought up how Netflix has tried in the past to get movies they released only on their streaming service recognized by the Oscars, which is a pretty interesting point.

For the past ten years, Netflix has been striving to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. They’ve received several nominations and nearly succeeded a few times, but haven’t won yet.

A lot of industry experts think Netflix is eager to win this battle to prove its approach of often bypassing or shortening movie theater releases is effective. This desire is particularly clear now that Netflix is reportedly considering buying Warner Bros., but also stating they’ll continue with Warner Bros.’ existing plans for releasing movies in theaters.

James Cameron, a strong advocate for seeing movies in theaters, didn’t hold back when asked about Netflix potentially buying Warner Bros. He publicly stated he was hoping Paramount would acquire it instead, saying Netflix would be a “disaster.” He directly addressed Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, adding, “Sorry, Ted!” Cameron highlighted that Sarandos previously claimed movie theaters were obsolete, quoting him as saying, “Theatrical is dead.”

Belloni shared that Netflix is suggesting they’d release films in theaters briefly if they acquired Warner Bros. Cameron found this idea laughable, calling it a tactic to simply meet the requirements for Oscar eligibility – a short theatrical run to qualify. He believes this undermines the original purpose of the Academy Awards. Cameron stated that a film should be created with a theatrical release in mind, and the Oscars have lost their meaning to him if they no longer prioritize that. He feels the awards have been compromised and considers it a serious problem.

A merger between Netflix and Warner Bros. would be a terrible outcome. You can hear more about this topic in a two-part discussion with James Cameron on ‘The Town’ podcast with @mattbelloni!

— The Ringer (@ringer) November 25, 2025

Belloni questioned whether Netflix films should be eligible for Oscars. Cameron believes they should, but only if Netflix commits to a wider theatrical release. He suggested a “meaningful release” would involve showing the film in at least 2,000 theaters for a month.

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2025-11-25 11:14