New details are out from David Ellison’s first Warner Bros. Discovery meeting, and DC may have been one of the big takeaways.
According to Deadline, Ellison leaned harder into theatrical releases than Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos did when he addressed executives back in December.
One insider told the outlet, “He leaned into theatrical more than when Ted Sarandos spoke to the executives back in December,” and added, “And he name-checked DC twice. He loves DC.”
DC stood out at the meeting
Ellison reportedly bringing up DC twice is notable for a reason.
Warner Bros. has a lot of major brands, so singling out DC more than once suggests he sees it as a key part of the company’s future.
Deadline’s report also points to Ellison being more enthusiastic about theatrical movies, which lines up with DC’s importance as a big-screen franchise business.
Why it matters for DC
This update makes James Gunn’s earlier absence from the meeting a little more interesting, but it also offers a positive sign for DC overall.
Peter Safran was in attendance, and now Deadline says Ellison openly praised DC during the session.
If accurate, it sounds like DC remains one of the core priorities as Ellison moves deeper into the Warner Bros. Discovery transition.
Ellison sounds more theatrical than Netflix
One of the more important parts of Deadline’s report is the comparison to Ted Sarandos.
Netflix has long been tied more to streaming than traditional moviegoing, while Ellison reportedly emphasized theatrical releases.
For DC fans, that could be welcome news, since DC is a brand built for big event movies on the theatrical stage, not content dumped onto a platform.
Ellison has already said the new Paramount WBD plans to release 30 films in theaters per year, so DC sounds likely to be a major part of that slate.
