Will Apple take the next big bite out of Hollywood?
It’s a bet worth taking. Now that Amazon’s catapulted to major studio status by acquiring MGM for $8.45B, Apple looks like a second-tier player, which it decidedly is not.
Apple’s had a toe in the Hollywood waters for years. It’s been streaming via Apple TV+ since 2019 and has some 33.6M subscribers. It’s released films like Sofia Coppola’s ON THE ROCKS in theatres & streaming and GREYHOUND with Tom Hanks, acquired from Sony in 2020 to stream.
Now as the consolidation of streamers & legacy studios accelerates, Apple with its ultra-deep pockets could become an overnight rival to Hollywood’s Big Three — Amazon, Netflix & Disney.
Apple could acquire Lionsgate, a major mini-major with hit franchises like THE HUNGER GAMES (pictured), JOHN WICKS & THE TWILIGHT SAGA. Lionsgate’s real strength is its library of 13,000+ films, including many from its 2003 acquisition of home video distributor Artisan Entertainment.
Another possibility: Apple could gobble up AT&T’s brand new WarnerMedia/Discovery+ publicly held spinoff – giving AT&T a hefty instant payoff while making Apple a Hollywood core studio.