The future of cinemagoing is top of mind as 2026 kicks off, with Netflix, which is buying Warner Bros. for $72 billion, reportedly interested in a 17-day window for theatrical releases before they hit the streaming platform. Meanwhile, box office revenue is struggling, with even Marvel movies — previously guaranteed hits — having trouble getting fans into theaters. The big question right now is, are we witnessing the beginning of the end of going to the cinema?
Hollywood legend Leonardo DiCaprio has expressed concern about the future of cinemagoing, wondering whether it will become a niche pursuit. In an interview with The Sunday Times, the Titanic, Inception, and The Wolf of Wall Street star wondered whether “people still have the appetite” for theaters, and, if not, whether they might “become silos — like jazz bars.”
“It’s changing at a lightning speed,” DiCaprio said. “We’re looking at a huge transition. First, documentaries disappeared from cinemas. Now, dramas only get finite time and people wait to see it on streamers. I don’t know.”
Then: “Do people still have the appetite? Or will cinemas become silos — like jazz bars?” While expressing this concern, DiCaprio said he hoped “real visionaries” continue to make unique movies that are seen in theaters, “But that remains to be seen.”
DiCaprio, who starred in 2025’s critically acclaimed One Battle After Another, isn’t alone in worrying for the future of cinemagoing. But some have gone even further. Last year, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the theatrical experience is “an outmoded idea for most people,” and claimed Netflix is “saving Hollywood.”
One Battle After Another ended its theatrical run making $205 million globally. According to Variety, Warner Bros. needed it to make roughly $300 million to break even on the film, which means it’s looking at a $100 million loss, give or take.
And while James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash has crossed the $1 billion mark at the global box office, it’s not going to get anywhere near the money the previous two Avatar movies made in theaters. In the run up to Fire and Ash’s release, Cameron admitted he was feeling nervous about the film’s box office performance and expressed concern about the “forces” working against theatrical releases in 2025.
Speaking on The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Cameron said there was potential for “sequelitis.” He added: “people tend to dismiss sequels unless it’s the third Lord of the Rings film and you want to see what happens to everybody, which in my mind this is — this is the culmination of a story arc, but that may not be how the public sees it.” And there’s the “one-two punch” of streaming and Covid, which means fewer people are going to the movies — 75% of the number in 2019, Cameron suggested. In the same interview, Cameron said Netflix buying Warner Bros. would be a “disaster.”
One report has claimed Netflix is particularly keen to obtain Warner Bros.’ vast content library as the streamer ramps up its potential to offer AI-generation tools and content in the future.
Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for Warner Bros.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
