Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. studio and streaming business in $72 billion deal

Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. studio and streaming business in $72 billion deal

Netflix has struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, the legacy Hollywood giant behind “Harry Potter” and “Friends,” to buy its studio and streaming business for $72 billion. The acquisition would bring two of the industry’s biggest players in film and TV under one roof and alter the entertainment industry landscape. Beyond its namesake television and motion picture division, Warner owns HBO Max and DC Studios. And Netflix is ubiquitous with on-demand content and has built its own production arm to release popular titles, including “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game.” “For more than a century, Warner Bros. has thrilled audiences, captured the world’s attention, and shaped our culture,” David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement Friday. “By coming together with Netflix, we will ensure people everywhere will continue to enjoy the world’s most resonant stories for generations to come.” For more on this deal, including what will happen to the “Discovery” part of Warner Bros. Discovery is Dominic Patten, executive editor at Deadline Hollywood.

How to avoid bad gifts

The holiday shopping season is well underway and with it comes the annual—anxiety driven—panic over finding the perfect gifts for loved ones. When it comes to the act of gift giving, we often find ourselves wanting to give things that will make the receiver feel seen, heard and of course thrilled. As the cliché goes, “it’s the thought that counts.” But what if the thought isn’t even there to begin with? Why do some presents end up missing so badly that they get re-gifted, returned, or even worse, tucked under a bed never to be seen again! Today on AirTalk, we take a look at the art of gift giving, the thoughtfulness that can go into it and the right ways to gift. Joining us are Alyse Dermer, founder of “Mr. Considerate,” a luxury gift concierge service and Jeffrey Galak, Associate Professor of Marketing at Carnegie Mellon University. We also want to hear from you! What’s the worst gift you have ever gotten and why was it so bad? Did you ever give a bad gift? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.

Langer's Delicatessen to continue serving its sandwiches for the foreseeable future

Deli sandwiches are a rich tradition across the United States, and here in Los Angeles, not many places epitomize that as much as Langer’s Deli in MacArthur Park. Having opened in 1947 by Albert Langer, the shop has taken on a life of its own over the decades, now being operated by his son, Norm Langer. The delicatessen is best known for its #19, hours-long smoked pastrami, which is stacked alongside some coleslaw, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing, paired with rye bread. It was early last month that Langers announced it’d keep its famous doors open, following comments from owner Norm Langer that it could soon close, due to concerns tied to its neighborhood park, MacArthur Park. With this historic deli still being around, we thought we’d speak to owner Norm Langer on Food Friday to hear about his shop’s history and its seasonal menu.

FilmWeek: ‘Five Nights at Freddy's 2,’ ‘The Secret Agent,’ ‘100 Nights of Hero,’ and more!

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Claudia Puig and Tim Cogshell review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

Films:

Five Nights at Freddy's 2, Wide Release
The Secret Agent, AMC Century City
100 Nights of Hero, Wide Release
Fackham Hall, Wide Release
The Chronology of Water, Laemmle Royal [West LA]
Cutting Through Rocks, Laemmle Royal [West LA]; Laemmle Town Center [Encino]
Zodiac Killer Project, Alamo Drafthouse [DTLA]; Laemmle Glendale
The Tale of Silyan, Laemmle Monica
Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, Wide Release
Man Finds Tape, Alamo Drafthouse [DTLA]; Available on VOD
The New Yorker at 100, Streaming on Netflix                   

Feature: Blumhouse and how horror became a box office guarantee

Horror films have been a consistent draw for movie theaters, even in a post-pandemic, streaming world. And one of the most well-known production studios in horror is Blumhouse. The production house came on the scene in 2009 with Paranormal Activity, a low-budget found-footage film that became a smash hit spawning a franchise. Blumhouse would repeat this formula with The Purge and Insidious franchise. Now, Blumhouse is known for its more crowd pleasing scary movies like M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy’s (with the highly anticipated sequel releasing this week), but the studio has also taken risks on up and coming directors like Jordan Peele and Damien Chazelle. So, how does a horror production house continue to survive and turn a profit in today’s film industry? And why does horror seem to be a safe bet for box office returns. Joining us to discuss the current horror movie landscape is Abhijay Prakash, president of Blumhouse.

You can read all about Blumhouse’s rise in their new book Horror’s New Wave: 15 Years of Blumhouse.