The entertainment industry is still reeling from fear and uncertainty after news that Paramount will purchase Warner Bros. Discovery, following a months-long battle with Netflix for the home of HBO, DC, Harry Potter, and more. While the deal has a long way to go before being finalized, many, both in and out of the entertainment world, have expressed concerns about how this mega-merger between two of Hollywood’s oldest and most historic studios will impact both artists and consumers. Now, Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette (who happens to play a cuthroat business executive in Severance), has some scathing thoughts on Hollywood’s ongoing “monopolization.”
Speaking to Collider’s Perri Nemiroff on the red carpet at the Actor Awards (formerly the SAG Awards), Arquette was asked what she would change about the movie and TV industry if she could, and why. Arquette responded:
“I’m concerned about all this consolidation. First of all, it’s gonna hamper artists, and it’s very politicized, and I think it’s gonna limit their creativity and the stories that they’re telling. But besides that, I think it’s really bad for the consumer, besides the freedom creatively. Once you start monopolizing and ending up with like four networks, they can drive up your prices, and you’re gonna be paying a lot more for entertainment. So it’s not even in your best interest in the long run to allow these things to happen. But I’m also concerned that there doesn’t seem to be any looking at monopolization, and if it starts with this industry, it’s just going to steamroll across all industries.”
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to Collider as the updates come in.
- Release Date
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February 17, 2022
- Network
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Apple TV
- Showrunner
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Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman
- Writers
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Anna Ouyang Moench, Wei-Ning Yu