It was a big night at the Golden Globes for Warner Bros. Discovery, which won nine awards — the most of any studio.
But there was little time to celebrate before reality set in.
On Monday, David Ellison’s Paramount sued Warner, demanding the company and its chief executive, David Zaslav, release more information about how Netflix’s bid was chosen. The move came a little less than a week after Warner rejected Paramount’s latest offer, citing the massive debt load the Ellison-led studio would take on to finance its takeover.
Despite a strong lineup of film and TV contenders this awards season, the overarching story for Warner will continue to be its uncertain future.
Will the storied company’s studios be swallowed up by streaming giant Netflix, which theater owners fear will lead to fewer theatrical releases? Or will Paramount prevail, which would continue the consolidation of the industry?
On Sunday, Hollywood’s anxiety over that deal was on full display.
“Conglomerates are not a good thing,” actor Wanda Sykes told my colleagues Tom Carroll and Rebecca Castillo on the red carpet. “You don’t want a monopoly.”
“Shark Tank” staple Kevin O’Leary, who made his movie debut in A24’s pingpong drama “Marty Supreme,” predicted that Netflix would prevail in its quest to control Warner Bros.’ studios, HBO and HBO Max because investors want to see the best possible return in the next two years.
“I think if they control those franchises, and they have the distribution that’s global … it’s very, very hard to compete with that,” he told The Times.
Eagle-eyed observers zeroed in on a seemingly warm exchange between Zaslav and Netflix Chief Executive Ted Sarandos at the event. And host Nikki Glaser wasted no time in addressing the elephant in the room.
“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” the comedian said, less than a minute into her monologue. “We’ll start the bidding war for Warner Bros. at $5. Do I hear $5?”
Jokes aside, Warner’s strong showing at the Globes could mean a fruitful next few months for the company.
The Globes signify the start of Hollywood’s awards season. And while its status as an Academy Awards bellwether has been hit-or-miss over the years — particularly given the tumult surrounding the show and its members — recognition there can help boost a film’s prospects.
Leading the pack was Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” which collected four awards, including best motion picture for musical or comedy. The film, widely considered to be a top contender for the best picture Oscar, follows a onetime revolutionary played by Leonardo DiCaprio who must revisit his old life after his daughter is kidnapped by a former foe.
Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” was also recognized with Globe awards for cinematic and box office achievement as well as original score for a motion picture.
Acclaimed medical drama “The Pitt” picked up two awards, while HBO Max‘s “Hacks” notched one for female actor in a television series — musical or comedy.
The recognition for Warner highlights why the fight for its future has been so contentious — both Netflix and Paramount see the company and its successful franchises and film and TV slates as a major prize to be won.
Also noteworthy at the Globes, this year marked the first time podcasts were an awards category. The inclusion underscores the growing importance of podcasts to Hollywood — nearly every nominated podcast was hosted by an actor or well-known personality.
But Penske Media, which runs the Globes, came under fire when the Ankler reported that Penske-owned Variety solicited marketing partnerships from potential award winners. (“For Your Consideration” awards campaign ads are also sold by other publications, including The Times).
Penske owns the audio analytics firm, Luminate, that compiled a short list of podcast nominees.
Within the podcast industry, there were also questions about the selection criteria and how some popular shows didn’t make the cut.
Dick Clark Productions, which produces the Golden Globes and is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, declined to comment.
Of course, controversy is nothing new to the Globes.
A Times investigation in 2021 raised concerns about its ethics and financial practices. NBC later pulled the show off the air in 2022 and Netflix, Amazon and many publicity agencies cut ties with the Globes, which undertook a series of changes before returning to the air a year later.
In June 2023, Penske Media acquired the nonprofit group that formerly hosted the Golden Globes — the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. — and made its members paid employees of the new enterprise.
The Globes scrapped that practice a year ago, describing the change in policy as “an acknowledgment that continuing to pay members could add to a perception of bias in voting.”
Stuff We Wrote
Film shoots
Number of the week
So far, so good for domestic theaters in 2026. Box office revenue for the U.S. and Canada is about $327.5 million to date, up 23% compared with the same time period last year.
This January has been bolstered by strong, holdover performances from Disney-owned 20th Century Studios’ “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and the Mouse House’s animated sequel “Zootopia 2,” as well as Lionsgate’s “The Housemaid.” Paramount Pictures’ chimp horror flick “Primate” opened this past weekend to $11.3 million domestically and $13.4 million worldwide.
Finally …
My colleague Christie D’Zurilla wrote about the now-paused fundraising effort for Mickey Rourke. The Oscar-nominated actor, who was facing eviction, rejected more than $100,000 raised by fans and supporters.
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