Netflix CEO’s Remark Puts Tom Cruise’s Next Blockbuster in Jeopardy
The WB–Netflix merger throws the big-screen playbook into doubt, putting WB’s upcoming slate — including Tom Cruise’s next project with Alejandro G. Iñárritu — under a streaming-first cloud as Ted Sarandos doubles down on challenging traditional theatrical windows.
Netflix and Warner Bros. are tying the knot, and everyone who cares about big-screen releases is side-eyeing the registry. Front and center in the crosshairs: Tom Cruise’s next movie with director Alejandro G. Inarritu, a WB project currently going by the working title 'Judy'. It’s the first film to come out of Cruise’s 2024 deal with WB to develop and produce original and franchise theatrical films — which is exactly why this potential new corporate setup is touchy.
Why this merger makes Cruise fans nervous
Cruise is basically the standard-bearer for the theatrical experience. Netflix is famously not. Those philosophies don’t exactly cuddle. In April, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos doubled down on his skepticism about traditional theatrical windows at the Time100 Summit, making it very clear how he reads the audience mood.
"What is the consumer trying to tell us? That they’d like to watch movies at home, thank you. The studios and the theaters are duking it out over trying to preserve this 45-day window that is completely out of step with the consumer experience of just loving a movie"
So, yeah, Cruise’s big-screen-first approach and Netflix’s business model aren’t a natural fit. With Netflix’s acquisition of WB in motion, it’s fair to wonder if Cruise’s WB pact has a long future under the new regime — especially after this first film with Inarritu, the filmmaker behind 'The Revenant'.
Will 'Judy' still get a real theatrical run?
Short answer: as of now, yes. Sarandos has said he isn’t anti-theater. He just doesn’t love the long, traditional windows WB has historically used — and he expects those windows to shrink over time. For the immediate slate, though, he says the plan stands.
"I’d say that right now you should count on everything that has planned on going to the theaters through Warner Bros. will continue to go to the theaters through Warner Bros. And Netflix movies will take the same [path] as they have - which is some of them do have a short run in the theater beforehand."
Translation: movies already headed for WB theatrical — like Cruise and Inarritu’s — should still hit theaters properly. After that? The ground could shift.
What happens to Cruise’s WB deal after this?
If Netflix starts trimming theatrical windows on WB titles across the board, it’s hard to picture Cruise sticking around long-term. He’s spent years championing the full-bodied big-screen rollout. Unless Netflix leaves WB’s release model mostly untouched, this partnership may become a one-and-done after 'Judy'. Not dramatic, just realistic.
- Title: 'Judy' (working title)
- Director: Alejandro G. Inarritu ('The Revenant')
- Star/producer: Tom Cruise
- Deal context: First film from Cruise’s 2024 agreement with WB to develop and produce original and franchise theatrical films
- Release date: October 2, 2026
- Current plan: Proper theatrical release through WB, per Sarandos’s current guidance
- Bigger picture: Netflix-WB merger in motion; Sarandos has been vocal about disliking lengthy 45-day windows and expects them to shrink
- The unknown: Whether Cruise stays with WB under Netflix leadership if those windows get squeezed
Bottom line: For now, Cruise and Inarritu’s 'Judy' is still a big-screen play with a locked date in 2026. The real drama kicks in after that, depending on how Netflix reshapes WB’s theatrical philosophy.