Netflix co‑CEO Ted Sarandos made an unprecedented appearance at Cinemacon in Las Vegas, sitting down with leading domestic and international cinema operators. The meetings, described as goodwill‑building rather than deal‑making, came while the streamer was still eyeing an $83 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery assets. Netflix declined comment on the outreach.

Attendees discussed recent joint stunts that boosted concession sales, including a sing‑along run of “KPop Demon Hunters” and a New Year’s Eve premiere of the two‑hour “Stranger Things” finale that added roughly $25 million to theater revenues. Sarandos questioned the value of exclusive theatrical windows, hinting at a more flexible future distribution model.

The conversation turned to the upcoming release of Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, slated for a two‑week IMAX run before debuting on Netflix. Theater owners expressed frustration over the limited exclusivity, while Netflix’s head of theatrical distribution, Spencer Klein, faced lingering resentment from earlier disputes. Sarandos’s presence signals a tentative shift in Netflix’s cinema strategy.