There’s been talk that MGM had been looking to sell up since as early as mid-2019, with Disney and Netflix named as potential buyers, but the deal has now been closed, with Amazon purchasing the studio and its entire back catalogue of movies and TV shows for a cool $8.45 billion.
Amazon has always been viewed as having one of the weaker libraries out of the Big Five streaming platforms, lagging behind Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max and Hulu in terms of both high profile originals and the selection of pre-existing titles on offer, but that’s all set to change in a big way. The company have acquired over 4,000 feature films and 17,000 TV shows, while a number of marketable brands are set to be reinvented, rebooted or remade. Naturally, the internet has a lot to say about the takeover, and you can see some of the reactions below.
$AMZN buying MGM movie studios is bad for $AMC.
More movies will be shown on Amazon Prime.
The exodus from movie theaters will continue.
— Simon Says (@Options_Experts) May 26, 2021
Amazon is also NOT buying MGM's classic, pre 1986 movie library, that includes the likes of Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain, Ben Hur etc. Those are still owned by Warner Media thanks to the visionary Ted Turner …. #TCMParty #MGM #Amazon pic.twitter.com/0vKv6tixZo
— Rados (@radosko) May 26, 2021
With "Amazon" purchasing MGM, Jeff Bezos will have access to the behind the scenes Apprentice tapes 🤣
— Cindy (@SmartyPants_USA) May 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/dmusa24/status/1397611693543358467
I'm pretty convinced Amazon bought MGM just so they can't use Jeff Bezos as the next Bond Villain.
— Mack (@mackejn8932) May 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/StudioSci/status/1397611626610761728
Soooo many things I'd like to see under MGM through Amazon. Very exciting!
— CHI3F (@CHI3F) May 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/redtwinx2/status/1397611463020253184
So, if Amazon has purchased MGM, the studio behind James Bond, does that mean that ‘No Time To Die’ will stream BEFORE it hits the big screen ? #JamesBond
— Graham #BringBackBoris #BackBoris 🇬🇧 (@apple_shwn) May 26, 2021
Amazon buying MGM is only going to pave the way for the other big streamers (Netflix) to gobble up struggling studios.
— I Heard You Liked This (@iheardyouliked) May 26, 2021
Obviously, James Bond is the big one, with Amazon now in control of the legendary spy series, but production company Eon have already released a statement saying they remain committed to the theatrical model for 007. However, once No Time to Die draws the Daniel Craig era to an end, the next iteration of the long-running franchise could arguably be the most important one ever.
Amazon are also now in possession of Rocky, RoboCop, Legally Blonde, The Silence of the Lambs, Stargate, Tomb Raider, The Pink Panther, The Thomas Crown Affair, 12 Angry Men and many more. Quite a few of those aforementioned movies have new sequels, remakes or reboots in development already, so it’ll be interesting to see how the likes of RoboCop Returns, Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut Creed III or the second outing for Alicia Vikander’s Lara Croft that’s set to be directed by Misha Green will be affected now that MGM is Amazon’s property.
Published: May 26, 2021 01:14 pm