Studio Executives Roundtable: Netflix, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, Disney, Amazon | Close Up 

The power in this room can remotely charge my iPhone

The amount of times this conversation felt like an amicable peace talk between crime lords is absolutely fascinating, if only just for the analogous power dynamics at play here.

This is an insane roundtable. That poor guy who had to schedule this.

This could have been a $250 Masterclass lesson video.

I would kill for a round table with the folks from A24, Neon, Anna Purna, Magnolia, Searchlight and any other smaller distributors

I would be SO intimidated as a journalist in this room asking these people questions. These 7 people are responsible for practically all of our television and movie content. That's crazy.

Consider: This went live about a month before the pandemic, which completely upended the theatrical business. I'd love to see these seven brought back two years later to see how they feel now.

Toby's face when they praise Snyder is priceless😂😂😂😂😂

Watching a poker game without the cards and chips

The fact that you can have a discussion like this for free on RU-vid is incredible to me. The mere brain power in that room lol.

I feel like these people prepared for this better than most presidential candidates in debates lol

Many people don't know that Alan Horn (Disney) led Warner Bros. from 1999 to 2012 when he was forced to retire. He gave so many greatest hits from WB like Harry Potter movies and Nolan's Dark Knight trilogies. He was then approached by Disney on 2013 and look where he took Disney to. They bought Fox, Lucas films and Pixar and hugely expanded Marvel franchise. WB is bought by AT&T.

What a weird and interesting conversion. They seem very charismatic but in a very calculating way. Actors usually hide their distaste really well but these executives take it to another level. The atmosphere, body language and power suits...

These are not people who are used to being interrupted.

Disney: "If Mulan doesn't play in China, we're in big trouble!" Corona: "Nice movie release you got planned there. Would be a shame if anything happened to it..."

Tobby's face when they mentioned Zack Snyder 😂😂😂

4 Chairmans, 1 CEO, 1 Co-Chair, and one Head. These guys create 95% of the stuff you see in theaters. Any one of them can snap a finger and make you famous and destroy your career. Good to have them owe you a favor. Arguably Ranked by Power. 1.) Alan Horn (Disney) , Jim Gianopulos (Paramount) ( These two are in their own class. Cause they have Boss of Bosses. Except Alan Horn shares his position with another person. 2.) Toby Emmerich (Warner Bros) 3.) Jennifer Salke (Amazon) < ---- Head of Amazon Films, Arguably very powerful woman. 4.) Scott Stuber (Netflix) 5.) Donna Langley (Universal) < ---- Also very powerful. She shares her position with another male counter-part 6.) Tom Rothman (Sony) By math in total, they have generated 342 Billion Dollars in their career for their respective company. Responsible for 362 directors careers and 3859 Actors careers and 318200+ Jobs. Would have a ranked third in WORLD GDP right under China. If all their companies and assets merged. It's weird considering their combined net worth is only half a billion.

Not the roundtable that we asked for but one that we needed lol

Damn, I can't believe this video is on here for free. Top university film schools like USC would kill for this line up.

Hollywood Reporter can you do more studio executive's roundtable? I was absolutely captivated to learn from these titans of industry. And of course, Donna is looking as radiant as ever.

Alan Horn after the interview: “Listen up everyone, Disney wants to buy all your studios, name your price.”

One of the most interesting opinions this table seems to share (Which I wasn't expecting them to admit) is the distinction between quality and marketability. They all acknowledge that a good movie is not necessarily profitable on the big screen, and they admit that they prioritise profit.

Netflix: *sips tea* Good or Bad my viewers still watch it.

am i the only one who thinks that these executives aestethically perfectly represent their companies? Disney: The self assured old man who knows his worth but is still kinda funny looking and goofy Warner Brothers: A little more adult than the others trying to suck up to the interviewer by nodding at everything and a little bit insecure of Disney Universal: The grand old lady classy and knows her worth the queen of the table Netflix: The new kid in class doing better than most people at the table and is sure of his abilities but still trying to be respectful of everyone Sony: Trying to be really important while still kissing ass and being kind of nervous Paramount: The old sleezeball on his way out clinging to Netflix for their partnership Amazon: The youngest - just sitting there Barely in the conversation with the adults

Great interviewer, great questions, no interruptions, the interviewer allowed everyone to speak in full and asked a lot of insightful questions. The question about Netflix’s success metrics, for example, was great. Such a great question and insight only received from someone like a studio exec. Each exec got their own questions, and questions for the whole group.

the first question is actually kind of brilliant since most people blame studio interference when movies end up being terrible.

Imagine if this got remade in 2040 I think it'll be Alan Horn sitting in a round table alone accompanied with empty chairs

I've watched all the round tables with some world's renowned actors, and i've found this one to be the most intriguing by far. It's not very often we get to hear from the people behind the scenes that make the most important decisions. Excellent content!

Love this interviewer, he listened but also knows when to cut a convo respectfully for time. Way easier to watch than that other guy who looks like he works at Gringotts part time.

The amount of money at that table right now 😭😭😭😭

In the beginning I was empathizing with these guys when they said the movie industry is hard to crack and how "good" movies are not enough anymore. And then I realised they were multi billion dollar corporates

Holy crap this is by far the best moderator of these THR roundtables. Insightful, pointed questions, delivered via a normal personality. Can they get him to do all the roundtables?

Spoken like true executives..... Absolutely nobody is tripping up in this table lol

The interviewer had excellent questions. This was so informative

Can you please do this again!!! Since Covid, this conversation about theater vs streaming is wildly different. Would love to see how the studios answer these questions now with how much streaming has taken over

I'm watching this as a second year film student from a third world country,Botswana, and then i imagined myself in one of those seats, well it is scary but worth thinking about!

“To make a great film you need three things - the script, the script, and the script.” [Alfred Hitchcock]

These interviews with execs are the most important ones. They never get to speak.

I like how in most every roundtable, it's creators/actors/etc all praising each other and really discussing. But introduce executives and it becomes really tense and slightly combative.

How were none of their phone's blowing up while in that 1 hour meeting? In fact none of their phone's were even out. They are the most important people in their respective companies and they literally took out 1 hour of their time with ZERO distractions. I'm impressed.

Hands down the most intriguing roundtable I’ve seen in a while. Also the questions that were being asked were great!

Very rare, very different. This was a really cool segment to watch.

This is probably the best roundtable I have ever watched. So incredibly insightful to hear about the economics, strategics and mechanics behind how films are made and released. Excellent interview.

This is one of the best and most underrated roundtables, I've seen! Well done, guys! It's a masterclass on movie business!

Dude from Warner Bros. getting super anxious when they talk about Zack Snyder's success with 300 lol

And I thought the director and writer roundtables were insane....

I hope they do another Casting Director Roundtable because the game has also really changed when it comes to their process, who they cast, and inclusivity. I’d 100% watch

I want to ask Scott to stop cancelling good shows after 3 seasons.

Netflix still didn't explain how their definition of success translates to earning money.

Matthew is a better host for the roundtables THR. Have him do main ones instead of the guy who interrupts everyone. And I'm not even exaggerating it's true.

The power in this room is ASTRONOMICAL

It's amazing to watch this conversation knowing they all are competing against each other.

I didn't think i was gonna watch it all, but it was great.

Most interesting content you´ll find about the cinema industry on RU-vid.

52:29 - the look you make when you realize everyone around the table is praising the guy you’re actively trying to destroy.

This roundtable is the most intoxicating hour of content yet. I'm genuinely intrigued by the mechanics and the sheer power of each individual at this table. Fascinating conversation and being moderated VERY well, he's got his big boy pants on for these guests. It's so funny how you can tell that they certainly respect each other and convey their ideas and studios aspirations with poise and articulation but the layers of what they truly think are so apparent. Being cordial but inside their actual thoughts on streaming vs theatrical or Disney's sheer mammoth bite of 40% of all ticket sales up from 26% just one year prior has got them all shook. PLEASE DO THIS AGAIN. AMAZING.

A lot of bullet dodging in this interview. They’re soo good at it

I love the studio executives roundtables. They go from talking about movie budgets, writers, directors, and actors. They also can be shady toward each other too. 😂

I go back to this roundtable every now and again. Such great insight from each giant in the industry. I'm also afraid to admit that it was almost odd to see each of them respect and admire each other. Because the society of fans have almost made it out to be as if the studios that each represent are at an all out war. Whenever they get around to it, I would love to see the heads of the streaming services be part of a roundtable

this is such a unique angle and perspective that we often miss out on in the discussion of modern filmmaking and media and it’s really really interesting to hear the pure business side of things. All of these people are incredibly intriguing and intelligent and it’s very refreshing to hear them so passionate about making sure that creativity does not get lost in the business decisions. Very very very lovely and informative roundtable with great people. Thank you Hollywood Reporter!

Wow, there really is some tension here between the "old" studio heads and the new world. This is more exciting than a lot of the studio films.

The WB sounds like he knows what they're doing with the Joker but then you remember those are the guys who can't handle DCEU and just cancel or reshoot or rewrite or recast or interfere with everything.

One of the best roundtables I've ever seen. Please do another one of these now that we're in a Pandemic & OTT has accelerated.

Toby Emmerich looks like he doesnt take his own advice lol

Favourite Movies That You Watched Over and Over as a Child Everyone Else: The Great Escape, The Sound of Music, Dr Zhivago, Bambi, Star Wars, Indiana Jones Toby Emmerich: The Godfather Suddenly it all makes sense...

I loved this. All the insight and even all the little jabs at the other studios was so fun. Like an episode of Succession

Alan Horn represents the best years of Warner bro’s the guy practically gave the world lord of the rings Harry Potter and good Nolan pictures amongst castle rock and other things ....he is a titan ....all the more proven with the state warners are in since he was unceremoniously dropped ....

Imagine being Netflix sitting at that table knowing damn well you single handedly change the game of the movie industry and they hate you for it

Am I the only one who finds this like the coolest video ever?

I don't get the "movie incites violence. The movie makes the audience violent." First of all, the audience has agency. They are not just passively consuming but rather active - engaging with the text.

It's interesting to see the dynamic between these people. Some of them are clearly more of a type A personality (Mr. Disney and Mr. Sony I'm looking at you) and this is manifested in them speaking more in the group situation, where as other's are remaining more quiet (Mr. Netflix, Mr. Warner Bros and Miss Amazon I'm looking at you). It's almost like a power game to see who can dominate here among the most dominant.

My confidence bar boosted up to 150 percent while listening to them talk.

The Sony guy strikes me as a really good dude. He probably has frequent flyer miles to Epstine’s island but he just comes off as a solid dude

I enjoyed this much more than actors round table.

This was really great. Thanks, THR!

I would really love a roundtable with studio executives now since the landscape has changed so much.

I enjoyed this round table much more than I initially thought I would. The interviewer did a great job of asking really insightful questions and ones that I didn't even know I wanted to have answered until they were presented.

This is an interesting sensation: I've never been scared to watch a THR Roundtable before.

Love this round table, Best content ever! Keep it up

Best and most insightful round table. Goes without saying people in those positions are all intelligent, whether you like their creative decisions or not. I like that Sony guy - nice to know some studio heads are nerdy enthusiastic cinephiles.

Alan Horn: Well, Disney's gonna buy you all at some point. Nice to know you lot, beforehand.

The male actor's table was a snooze fest compared this. How incredibly insightful and interesting. Great interviewer, insightful guests, good topics. Bravo.

Loved this!! Need this each year

Great insight, information, and "shot caller" perspectives that answers a lot of my thoughts within the industry. Love this video, thank you THR for providing this!!

Thank you so much for this, Hollywood Reporter. :)

Incredibly surprising that this occurred, watched till the end, very engaging conversation and great questions and journalism 👏

How did I even miss the notification of such an iconic round table?!? I honestly didn’t see that coming.

I am officially addicted to these roundtables. They're not just competitors or former colleagues as the media paints them out to be. They love to make great content! It's a beautiful thing you folks do for us. I say thank you from the bottom of my binging little heart.

The humongeous storytelling platform that Disney owns is hands down scary. On another note-- loved this roundtable, the host was amazing and the questions spot on! I'd love to see a conversation like this with smaller production houses execs and another with cinema owners large & small.

Interesting how they're quick to blame a faulty script as the reason a film flops but the writers are still known as the bottom of the totem pole in the entertainment business. WTF?

This years roundtable is gonna be really insightful with covid. Talking about the backlog, worries with releases and filming worries

What a GREAT interview and such GREAT questions!

Deeply, deeply cynical people pretending that it's about a love of movies and art, but micromanaging all the material we watch in a very calculated way.

The Oligarchs of High Production Cinema.

This was a really cool conversation to watch! I love all forms of film and TV and it is amazing that we have so many platforms to choose from now ☺

52:03 #ZackSnyder , Executives appraising Zack Snyder’s 300 and discussing how they missed the opportunity to WB, and former WB head Alan Horn (current Disney Head) sharing his experience with Zack, all in front of current WB chief Toby Emmerich, who is trying hard to escape it, and change the topic, for his famous Snyder sabotages.

So much subtext in this roundtable. Love it.

This was excellent. I would love to hear from more Leaders in this industry. Great discussion and thanks for this Close Up!

The silent stares that occur on this table gives me chills, especially during The Irishman convo. lol

My computer was short circuited from all of the power in this room