How Netflix-WB Deal Could Impact A-List Festivals Cannes, Venice & Berlin

Netflix’s blockbuster deal to acquire Warner Bros. raises intriguing questions across the value chain and across different sectors of the global business. One realm not front of mind today, but that might feel the impact is the competitive circuit of A-list European film festivals.

Netflix and WB have developed very different working relationships with the major festivals. As one of Hollywood’s legacy brands, WB remains a coveted partner for most major festivals, with WB titles often serving as centerpiece screenings. Recent major WB festival debuts include Joker at Venice in 2019, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis at Cannes in 2022, and this year, the studio gave a European debut to Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 in Berlin.

After an initial spell as the pulpy disruptor, Netflix has had a more complex time on the circuit. The streamer hasn’t screened a film in the Cannes Official Selection since 2017. The company’s de facto ban was the result of pressure from French exhibitors. The festival now requires all films to observe France’s strict laws around theatrical windows.

Under the current laws, most global streamers, including Disney and Amazon, are subject to a 17-month gap between a theatrical and online release of a feature film. Netflix is subject to a 15-month window in return for extra investment in local feature films. 

Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux has invited Netflix to play film Out of Competition, but the streamer hasn’t wanted to send movies if the festival‘s most prestigious strand is off limits. Netflix had been set for a return to the Croisette in 2020 with Spike Lee’s Vietnam epic Da 5 Bloods. That year, Lee was to serve as Cannes Jury President, but the pandemic canceled in-person events, and the film was released directly on the streaming service. There has been no suggestion of the streamer returning since then. 

Netflix’s inclusion in Competition at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival with Isabel Coixet’s drama Elisa Y Marcela sparked protests from German cinema owners and industry bodies, who argued that the streamer’s brief theatrical releases undermined the country’s cinema culture. Netflix hasn’t screened a film in Competition at Berlin since, but was handed an Out Of Competition spot in 2024 with Adam Sandler’s Spaceman. The festival has said in recent years that its Competition is the preserve of theatrical-first movies.

The only consistent A-list European festival home Netflix has been afforded for its high-ticket titles is on the Venice Lido, where the streamer has dominated in recent years. In 2025, Netflix debuted three titles in the Venice Competition, and the streamer’s 2018 Golden Lion win with Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma is often cited as the start of the streaming world’s full-scale embrace of prestige films and filmmakers.

With WB’s stable of buzzy properties moving over to Netflix, news of today’s merger could be interpreted as a move that strengthens Venice and potentially weakens its competitors, which have shunned the streamer. But predictions are difficult to make. The WB sale has been a complex and often surprising process. Regulatory checks await, and they are likely to be highly politicized. It is also still unclear how Netflix intends to deal with its new bumper filmmaking business.

In their official announcement following today’s news, Netflix said it “expects to maintain Warner Bros.’ current operations” and “build on its strengths, including theatrical releases for films.”

The streamer added that the acquisition will also allow the company to “significantly expand U.S. production capacity.”

We’ve reached out to the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin Film Festivals for comment.