The Warner Bros. Thread | Will NOT merge with Paramount...capitalism is still terrible

[dudalb]

23 hours ago, ChipDerby said:

are you david zaslav

Nope I think Zaslev is making a lot of bad decisions. What I am saying is any CEO would have to cut spending at WB. Question is what do your cut?

 

 

[dudalb]

3 hours ago, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

Just pump out more spinoffs of 90 Day Fiancé, it'll be totally fine! /s

 

I get that Warner Discovery has a crushing amount of debt and they probably don't have a lot of good options in reducing it. But is Zaslav really choosing the least bad option? I doubt it.

THIS. No doubt Warners had to cut spending and start paying off the bank loans before the interest kills them; but he seems to be making a lot of stupid decision.  It was going to be painful no matter what, but he seems to be using a cleaver rather then a scaple to make the cuts.

But although I think Zaslev is not doing a good job of crisis managment, I also think any Warners CEO would be taking heat because he  is going to have to make some painful decisions.

A show that  the DC fans like but the General audience does not, and it not pulling in the numbers it needs is going to go no matter who is in charge. It sucks,, but that's reality.

[dudalb]

15 hours ago, Ryan Reynolds said:

Is WB really in more financial trouble than CBS/Paramount?

Long term who knows, but WB in in debt trouble and debt trouble is the most dangerous. Paramount has problems, but they can be put off; huge debt cannot.

[Ronin46]

I now know how Bull Murray felt in Groundhog Day.

[AJG]

4 hours ago, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

Just pump out more spinoffs of 90 Day Fiancé, it'll be totally fine! /s

 

I get that Warner Discovery has a crushing amount of debt and they probably don't have a lot of good options in reducing it. But is Zaslav really choosing the least bad option? I doubt it.

90 Day Fiancé slander on these forums is getting out of hand. 

[dudalb]

1 minute ago, Ronin46 said:

I now know how Bull Murray felt in Groundhog Day.

Can't talk about WB without talking about it's debts, which is what is driving this whole crisis.

 

[dudalb]

At least Warners is in better shape then Regal Cinemas, which is probably going to file for bankruptcy.

[WittyUsername]

42 minutes ago, dudalb said:

Can't talk about WB without talking about it's debts, which is what is driving this whole crisis.

 

The debt that WB is in was only exacerbated by the Discovery purchase. What Zaslav is doing comes off as extremely shortsighted and counterintuitive. How does he expect to turn WB into a powerhouse that can compete with Disney, if he alienates a good chunk of Hollywood?

[ChipDerby]

Also, if he more or less kills HBO Max, then what? Just let Disney own the box office AND streaming? I guess you've cornered the market on Emmy's? Cool.

[dudalb]

20 minutes ago, WittyUsername said:

The debt that WB is in was only exacerbated by the Discovery purchase. What Zaslav is doing comes off as extremely shortsighted and counterintuitive. How does he expect to turn WB into a powerhouse that can compete with Disney, if he alienates a good chunk of Hollywood?

The Discovery purchase seems to have been a big mistake on Warners part. I think previous WB administrations have to take  the main blame for that, though.

Yeah, Zaslev seems to be in over his head. He might have done a good job running Discovery, but I think he reached his Peter Principal level of incompetence in running Warners. I think the cuts could have been made in a much more thought out approach, rather then his using a battle ax.

The news about Regal filing for bankruptcy is more proof the whole entertaiment industry is in for some very rough times ahead.

 

 

Edited August 19, 2022 by dudalb

[dudalb]

20 minutes ago, ChipDerby said:

Also, if he more or less kills HBO Max, then what? Just let Disney own the box office AND streaming? I guess you've cornered the market on Emmy's? Cool.

THe meat ax approch to HBO Max is stupid. I know cuts need to be made, but  not with a huge ax.

[lorddemaxus]

 

Nathan Fielder about to save WBD.

[excel1]

No offense but obviously Zaslav is a bit more informed than some here. The business must be strong in order to continue simply put. What the old regime did was beyond negligent.

[NamakFiskKa]

 

 

 

 

 

[Spidey Freak]

6 hours ago, excel1 said:

No offense but obviously Zaslav is a bit more informed than some here. The business must be strong in order to continue simply put. What the old regime did was beyond negligent.

 

I'm sure the same argument could have been made for Jason Kilar when he shifted the entire 2021 theatrical slate to simultaneous release but look how that turned out.

 

There are things that don't make sense like why does HBO have its own OTT service separate from HBO Max? But instead of streamlining the services, Zaslav is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

 

Of course, the cold, cynical reality is Zaslav probably doesn't give a fuck about WB properties, is just gutting them to penny pinch, and wants to mostly focus on strengthening Discovery.

[Cappoedameron]

 

 

Well I'm just WBD is gonna be happy with this, a giant middle finger not that they don't deserve it.

[WittyUsername]

12 hours ago, excel1 said:

No offense but obviously Zaslav is a bit more informed than some here. The business must be strong in order to continue simply put. What the old regime did was beyond negligent.

Zaslav’s background is in non-scripted programming. The evidence so far would suggest that he has no clue how running a major Hollywood studio actually works. 

[Cappoedameron]

He's burning bridges left and right and Hollywood is an industry which never forgets and is always watching. So it's gonna be interesting if all these big directors and creators will want anything to do with him after the stuff he's done the past week.

 

 

I can't imagine any animation studio wanting to work with WBD after what he pulled this past week.

 

Edited August 20, 2022 by Cappoedameron

[BeastByTheBay]

2 hours ago, Cappoedameron said:

He's burning bridges left and right and Hollywood is an industry which never forgets and is always watching. So it's gonna be interesting if all these big directors and creators will want anything to do with him after the stuff he's done the past week.

 

 

I can't imagine any animation studio wanting to work with WBD after what he pulled this past week.

 

 

Puck News interviewed an unnamed Studio Head about Zaslav's recent decisions and they said that if you want to run a studio, you have to publicly support your filmmakers no matter how bad a project may be. Doing it the Batgirl way is how you get no one to work for you.

Edited August 20, 2022 by BeastByTheBay

[excel1]

14 hours ago, Spidey Freak said:

 

I'm sure the same argument could have been made for Jason Kilar when he shifted the entire 2021 theatrical slate to simultaneous release but look how that turned out.

 

No, in fact - many experts openly said that was a stupid decision, which we now to know to have been the case.

 

14 hours ago, Spidey Freak said:

Of course, the cold, cynical reality is Zaslav probably doesn't give a fuck about WB properties, is just gutting them to penny pinch, and wants to mostly focus on strengthening Discovery.

 

Zaslav runs the company that owns WB properties. Obviously he cares about realizing their full potential value. The hiring Alan Horn is a high-end decision.