→ You can now listen to all Ankler stories in the Substack app. Just hit the “play” arrow at the top right of the screen. Need to Sell a Film or TV Show? Just Add ChristmasReps and filmmakers explain how a Yuletide twist can turn any story into a greenlight right now — and what Netflix has to do with itI cover top dealmakers for paid subscribers. I wrote about the new foreign presales playbook for indie films and the return of film crowdfunding, analyzed animation’s box office boom, and looked at who’s scoring big feature film deals now.Earlier this year, in a general conversation about getting movies off the ground in the current climate, a dealmaker said something a bit unexpected: Everyone wants to make Christmas movies because Netflix wants them. I immediately added that statement to my yuletide to-do reporting list, not realizing that by the time December rolled around, my curiosity would be squarely aligned with the news cyclone. Netflix is now offering $82.7 billion for the Warner Bros. film and TV production and streaming businesses of Warner Bros. Discovery, including HBO Max and HBO, while Paramount has made a hostile bid of $108 billion (backed by multiple Gulf sovereign funds, Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners and, of course, the Ellison family) for the whole company. (Other than some debt financing from banks, including Wells Fargo, BNP, and HSBC, Netflix needs no backing for its bid.) Warner Bros. is, among other things, the storied studio-slash-distributor behind some of the most iconic holiday movies of the past hundred years — including Christmas in Connecticut, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Elf, The Polar Express and Gremlins — if you count it, which I personally do. (While MGM produced A Christmas Story, it was the annual 24-hour marathons on Warners-owned TNT and TBS that cemented it as a cultural staple.) Of course, Netflix’s interest in Warners extends beyond Elf — but the acquisition would certainly bolster its push into the Christmas space, which began around 2017. The streamer has been making two to four holiday original films per year since then, as my colleague Lesley Goldberg noted in her column a couple of weeks ago (the streamer is currently promoting 28 Christmas films on its site). “These bigger, elevated, four-quadrant Christmas movies are selling,” says Verve motion picture lit agent Noah Liebmiller. “There’s also a real appetite, and clearly a real audience, for what 10 or 15 years ago might have been called ‘a Hallmark Christmas movie’ — and the home for those is seen as Netflix.” Adds another agent with clients in the holiday movie space, “Netflix is the Walmart of our business. They have to have everything on their shelves. They have to sell $200 million blockbusters and they have to sell fun little Christmas movies as well.” Putting more content and IP on its shelves, in fact, is the major driver of Netflix’s bid for Warner Bros. (Unlike the plot of many of these holiday movies, however, there’s no aw-shucks, flannel-clad boy next door in this late-stage capitalism love triangle. Both corporate suitors are the rich, big city businessman who want to buy grandma’s bakery.) “All the streamers want to have their quill of holiday films to keep the audience engaged,” says veteran talent lawyer Rick Genow, whose clients include Michael Showalter, the multi-hyphenate helming Amazon MGM Studios’ starry new Christmas dramedy Oh. What. Fun. “The ability to put it in the library and have it be rediscovered every year allows streamers to dedicate more financial resources to these films, so I do think that has changed the nature of these holiday movies.” For today, I talked with dealmakers and filmmakers including Genow, Liebmiller, UTA’s Keya Khayatian, veteran talent lawyer and Danny Passman and directors Roger Bobb and Jonah Feingold about the modern market for holiday films. In this issue, I’ll break down…
This column is for paid subscribers only. Interested in a group sub for your team or company? Click here. For full access and to continue reading all Ankler content, paid subscribers can click here. Got a tip or story pitch? Email tips@theankler.com ICYMI from The AnklerThe Wakeup Disney’s McCay MIA, Freddy’s big dip Rob Reiner and a Terrible Weekend The shocking deaths of the director and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, cap two days that reveal a world stripped of humanity, writes Richard Rushfield Hollywood’s Breaking Faster Than Film Schools Can Teach It. Inside the Scramble to Keep Up Professors are rewriting syllabi on the fly as studios melt, algorithms rule and screens go vertical, Elaine Low reports A Writer’s Guide to Loving the Netflix–Warner Bros. Deal Joel Stein wonders, what’s the worst that could happen? SCOOP: Netflix and iHeart Near Podcast Deal; Videos to Be Pulled From YouTube Natalie Jarvey reports that about 20 shows are covered in the agreement TV in 3: HBO’s Horny Hockey Hunks Go Viral; CBS Showrunner Scramble Plus: Starz’s Shohei Ohtani home run Ellison’s Warner Bros. Bid: A One-Man Toxic Spill Our newest studio chief’s debut keeps getting worse, Richard writes When Mickey Met Sam Altman — and What It Means for Every Other Studio Now Scorched by the Streaming Wars, Bob Iger won’t let Mickey Mouse be steamrolled by Big Tech again, writes Erik Barmack 12 C-Suite Execs on the ‘Existential’ Fallout of a Warners Deal and the ‘Least Bad’ Outcome Lesley Goldberg reports on why the acquisition could be as destabilizing for the buyer as it is for the rest of Hollywood Small-Town Theaters vs. Studios: ‘It Doesn’t Feel Like the Industry Wants Us to Survive’ Cinema owners tell Matthew Frank the two-week mandatory run for movies is crushing them The 9 Most Fearless Creative Decisions in Hollywood 2025 Introducing Richard’s Boldness Awards! Plenty of people had guts this year, if you knew where to look Jordan Chiles + Noah Beck Reveal the New Playbook for Sports, Stardom & Social Natalie talked with the TikTok and Tubi star and the Dancing With the Stars Olympian (who slips she has a big Nike announcement coming) Rob Reiner, Hollywood Mensch; Emily Blunt on the Emotional Toll of The Smashing Machine The Oscar nominee also tells Katey Rich about the great note she got from Christopher Nolan Delroy Lindo on the Sinners Note Ryan Coogler Gave Him That Changed Everything Plus: Dreaming of Sundance and next year’s contenders (already) Voices, Chants, Pain: Amanda Seyfried & Daniel Blumberg on The Testament of Ann Lee ‘I made sounds I’d never heard in a film,’ the actress tells Rob LeDonne regarding her collab with the Oscar-winning composer 🎬 New from Ankler Studio! Joel Edgerton Had Twins. Train Dreams Channeled His Emotions About Parenthood Main Character, our new video series about the best lead performances in film and TV, debuts with the Australian actor 🎬 ‘Make Movies Better’: Roger Deakins & James Ellis Deakins’ Blunt Words for the Industry The married couple and Team Deakins podcast hosts talk with Richard about the future of the cinematic experience 🎧 Tick, Tick: The 10-Day Siege of Warner Bros. Begins The hostile bid from the Saudis, Kushner & Ellison has a deadline on it. But it likely won’t end there. Plus: Katey on awards season 🎧 Charlie Hunnam: ‘Purpose is Derived From Doing Something Very, Very Difficult’ The Monster star earned rave reviews — and award noms — for playing serial killer Ed Gein. But he tells Katey he’s got his eye on a next act 🎧 Jeremy Allen White ‘Went Crazy’ to Play Bruce Springsteen. It Paid Off The actor, a freshly minted Golden Globe nominee, talks to Katey about playing The Boss and why sometimes it’s good to meet your heroes More from Ankler MediaNew from Natalie Jarvey’s creator economy newsletter: Patreon’s CEO on Poaching Substack Stars — and Why Meta Feeds Are Headed for Full AI Netflix’s Pod Pitch Lands Flat; Fox Comes for YouTube; Yeezy Alum Drops New App Andy Lewis’ latest IP picks: A Beef-Like Revenge Thriller & The Secret History meets Alice in Wonderland Granny vs. Goliath, a Real-Life Reacher and Blade Runner for the VR Era |




