Warner Bros. Discovery Rejects Paramount’s Hostile Bid

The board of Warner Bros. Discovery has rejected Paramount’s hostile bid for the company.

In a statement, the chairman of the WBD board, Samuel A. Di Piazza, Jr., said…

After thoroughly reviewing Paramount’s recent offer to buy us, our Board has determined that it doesn’t offer enough value for our shareholders and carries considerable risks. This offer still doesn’t resolve the important issues we’ve repeatedly discussed with Paramount over the past several proposals. We remain convinced that merging with Netflix is a better deal for our shareholders, offering more value and certainty, and we’re excited about the potential benefits of combining our companies.

Paramount made an offer to buy Warner Bros. Discovery for $30 per share in cash, which is a higher price than Netflix previously agreed to pay for the company earlier this month.

Netflix’s agreement only covers Warner Bros. studio, HBO, and HBO Max, along with a few other parts of the company. Paramount, however, is bidding for the whole company, including its traditional cable networks like CNN. Under the Netflix deal – and a plan that’s been developing for months – those cable networks would be separated and become their own independent company.

As a fan, I’m hearing that Paramount is really pushing their offer because they think it’s the most likely to get the green light from the government. Apparently, they have a good relationship with President Trump and his administration, and they’re hoping that will help their bid get approved.

Just yesterday, Donald Trump criticized Paramount and CBS on social media. He claimed that since the new ownership took over, the 60 Minutes program has been much more critical of him than ever before. He questioned whether these owners were truly his friends, stating he wouldn’t want to see what his enemies would be like. Trump was reacting to a recent 60 Minutes interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene that he disliked.

Paramount’s attempt to buy the company was turned down, and the bid included money from Jared Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners. However, earlier this week, Kushner’s group also withdrew from the deal, stating that with two other companies competing for the purchase, Affinity decided not to move forward. They still believe Paramount’s offer made good business sense.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Discovery’s refusal of Paramount’s initial offer was anticipated, and doesn’t mean the fight for control of the company is over. Sources say that John Ellison and the Paramount team were waiting to see how Warner Bros. Discovery would react before deciding what to do next. If Paramount increases its offer, Netflix will have the opportunity to match it or make a counteroffer, potentially starting a new round of bidding.

The 10 Worst Netflix Movies of 2025

Back in Action

It’s disappointing that Cameron Diaz’s comeback film after a decade away, the Netflix action-comedy Back in Action, wasn’t a hit, but these things happen. (Luckily, she’s also returning for a new Shrek movie!) The film stars Diaz and Jamie Foxx as retired CIA agents forced back into action when their cover is compromised. While the idea is solid and the two actors usually have great chemistry in action roles, the movie feels a bit flat. It’s a polished but ultimately uninspired piece of content that relies too heavily on familiar tropes from better films.

Kinda Pregnant

The biggest problem with Amy Schumer’s new comedy special, Kinda Pregnant, is that it relies on a single, simple premise. The idea – what if a woman, feeling the pressure of time and craving attention, pretends to be pregnant to feel special again? – is classic Schumer, but the special doesn’t really develop it beyond that initial concept. Much of Kinda Pregnant feels repetitive: Schumer, using a fake belly or props, is repeatedly almost caught in her lie, often due to slapstick humor – like her belly catching fire or being replaced with a chicken. While amusing at first, this joke quickly gets old.

The Electric State

The Russo brothers, known for directing the Avengers films, recently released The Electric State, a disappointing dystopian action movie. Set after a human victory over robots, the film follows a teenager (Millie Bobby Brown) who ventures into a restricted zone to find her brother. She’s aided by a few robots—including a bizarre appearance by Mr. Peanut—and Chris Pratt, who seems strangely disengaged. Despite a massive $320 million budget, the movie feels pointless. The acting is stiff, the special effects are uninspired, and the plot is incredibly predictable – you could easily miss half the movie and not realize anything significant happened.

The Old Guard 2

Netflix seemed to be aiming for a successful superhero series like The Old Guard after the first movie was well-received. That initial film featured a hidden group of immortal mercenaries being pursued by a pharmaceutical executive who wanted to exploit their ability to heal—a compelling concept brought to life with stylish filmmaking. However, the sequel, released five years later with the same actors but a new director, lacks the energy of the first film. It focuses too much on complicated backstory and features uninspired action. While superhero movies need world-building, The Old Guard 2 demonstrates how easily things can go wrong when a good story gets lost in the details.

Fear Street: Prom Queen

Summer 2021 brought a welcome surprise for horror fans when Netflix released a trilogy of Fear Street movies, based on R.L. Stine’s books and tapping into the popular trend of retro slasher films. These movies are considered some of Netflix’s best work, but the 2025 sequel, Fear Street: Prom Queen, didn’t live up to the original trilogy’s success. This standalone film, set in 1988, centers on a group of teenagers trying to escape a killer who is targeting potential prom queens. While the premise is entertaining, the movie feels uninspired and relies too heavily on familiar slasher clichés, lacking the spark that made the first three films so enjoyable.

My Oxford Year

Sofia Carson’s latest Netflix film, My Oxford Year, is a predictable and somewhat bland romantic drama. It’s her fourth movie for the platform in three years. The story follows an American student studying at Oxford who falls for her professor, only to discover he’s terminally ill and has chosen not to seek further treatment. While not terrible, the movie lacks spark and feels very similar to a Hallmark film—it has a bit better quality, but still delivers a downbeat ending.

The Woman in Cabin 10

Keira Knightley shines in her 2024 Netflix spy series, Black Doves, but her 2025 thriller film, The Woman in Cabin 10, doesn’t quite hit the mark. Based on the Ruth Ware novel, the film follows Knightley as a journalist on a luxurious yacht, invited by a very wealthy and unwell woman. She thinks she sees someone fall overboard, but everyone on board seems to be present and accounted for. The premise has the potential to be a clever, twisty mystery like Gone Girl, but unfortunately, it ends up being confusing and doesn’t really go anywhere.

Madea’s Destination Wedding

Let’s be honest, a Madea movie doesn’t need to be good to be enjoyable, but Madea’s Destination Wedding isn’t even fun. It feels like a movie made specifically for streaming, lacking the energy and polish of many of Tyler Perry’s other films – even the silly ones. The story revolves around a family trip to the Bahamas for an engagement, but it mostly feels like a long advertisement for the Atlantis Resort – it’s even less subtle than that infamous product placement in Riverdale, and it’s missing the humor we’ve come to expect from the other twelve (yes, twelve!) Madea movies.

The Twits

What makes Roald Dahl’s funniest books so great is his knack for blending dark, sometimes even harsh, humor with stories that are generally safe for children. So, it was surprising to see Netflix’s animated version of The Twits – arguably Dahl’s meanest book, filled with characters who actively try to hurt animals and each other – trade in that edgy humor for a sweet message about kindness and understanding. While it’s understandable that a modern adaptation would need to remove problematic elements like the book’s outdated and offensive depictions of people, this adaptation feels like another example of children’s movies avoiding any real risks in storytelling.

A House of Dynamite

The first 45 minutes of A House of Dynamite delivers the intense excitement and suspense you’d expect from a disaster movie directed by Kathryn Bigelow, but unfortunately, the film loses steam after that. It portrays the U.S. military’s reaction to a missile attack – from initial detection to attempts to defend against it – through the eyes of three different government officials. However, the film’s structure becomes repetitive, showing the same events from increasingly less compelling viewpoints. Even a strong performance by Idris Elba as the President can’t save the later parts of the movie from feeling flat after the promising start.

2025-12-17 17:27