Warner Bros. Chiefs Double Down On Film Strategy: “We Really Believe In An Eclectic Slate”

Warner Bros. movie chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy on Friday said the studio looks to push the creative envelope with a diverse movie slate that doesn’t lean on filmmakers to deliver commercial hits.

“There’s no real line. We are in the business to monetize art. It’s an interesting dichotomy in the film industry. They don’t need to conflict,” De Luca said during a keynote address at the Toronto Film Festival on Friday as part of TIFF: The Market. The Warners power duo behind recent box office hits like Sinners, Weapons and Oscar-winner One Battle After Another both agreed taking risks on movies in Hollywood calls for supporting the best directors and creatives.

“Cinema has to be radical. And these filmmakers have a lot to say. And there’s a lot going on in the world, and there’s a lot coming at us every day,” Abdy argued. “Cinema is one place storytelling can bring communities together, where you can learn about something you don’t know anything about, and it can change your heart and mind.”

Abdy and DeLuca have a waterfront at WBD that includes Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and more recently, the label Clockwork. “With Clockwork, we want to be where the audience is, in the acquisition space and the independent space and the emerging talent space,” De Luca insisted.

Their appearance in Toronto came as efforts by Paramount Skydance to seal its deal for Warner Bros. Discovery have reached fever pitch after an earlier a tug-of-war between Netflix and Paramount. The Warners Bros. heads did not address the merger directly during their keynote address.

Paramount Skydance has said it plans to invest $30 billion annually in production and release at least 30 films a year after absorbing WBD. Abdy told the TIFF: The Market audience in Toronto that Warner Bros. will continue with a diverse slate of movies to offset risk, whether that’s original IP or expanding franchises.

“We really believe in an eclectic slate. We try each year to have different kinds of movies for all kinds of audiences. It’s a balance,” she said. DeLuca added every time a studio draws back from original IP, they leave a lane open to a competitor.  

“It’s short-sighted to be exclusively looking for things that are safe on paper. Why not do both?” De Luca said of mining a studio vault for sequels and other franchise material, while also doing original projects. He added it was time for Hollywood, as it looks to a box office rebound in 2026, to stop looking back pre-pandemic for a commercial yardstick.

“I hate looking backwards. We always try to look forward,” De Luca argued as Hollywood now fully encompasses a theatrical and streaming world for movie releases. “We’re not making widgets. Every movie is different,” Abdy added as she insisted major studios had to look beyond year-to-year comparisons in financial performance.