10 Most Valuable Movies & TV Franchises Netflix Just Bought From Warner Bros.

Some of the most valuable and well-known movies, TV shows, and franchises will be acquired by Netflix after the announcement of the streaming service’s industry-changing acquisition of Warner Bros.. Although it will still be some time before this high-profile acquisition is complete, it was announced on December 5, 2025, that Netflix would purchase the film and television studios of Warner Bros. in an unprecedented $82.7 billion deal. Warner Bros.’ pay-television, extensive content libraries, and streaming businesses will all move to Netflix, including some of the biggest and most notable franchises in TV and movie history.

Warner Bros. was founded in 1923, making it a leading studio during Hollywood’s “Golden Age,” and giving it over 100 years of movies, TV, and more. Including classics such as Casablanca and Citizen Kane, Netflix—should the deal be completed without obstacle—will acquire major franchises and series. Along with the likes of Mad Max, The Conjuring, Final Destination, Looney Tunes, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and many, many more properties, Netflix will be gaining control of some of these ten other significant movie and TV franchises and instalments, changing the shape of the entertainment industry for good.

10) MonsterVerse

While the MonsterVerse, which comprises blockbuster movies featuring Godzilla, Kong, and other Titans, as well as the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters series, is owned by Legendary Pictures, Warner Bros. also has fingers in the pie. Warner Bros. co-produces the MonsterVerse and has distribution rights to the movies and TV series, which will now fall under the purview of Netflix. Whether Legendary chooses to keep the MonsterVerse’s distribution rights with Netflix, which would be an unusual choice given Netflix’s streaming-first mentality, remains to be seen.

9) Friends

Produced by Warner Bros. Television between 1994 and 2004, Friends remains as one of the most successful sitcoms ever. Friends’ popularity and longevity makes it a huge asset for Netflix as part of the Warner Bros. deal, but we hope Netflix doesn’t feel the need to revive the story. The sitcom followed six friends living in Manhattan through their 20s and 30s, and became a cultural revolution, but an LA-set spinoff starring Matt LeBlanc, Joey, failed to match its success. Matthew Perry tragically passed away in 2023, so Friends has become an even more beautiful memorial to the star.

8) Dune

Similarly to the MonsterVerse, it’s Legendary Pictures that owns the movie rights to Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, Dune, but Warner Bros. covers the distribution for the recent epic sci-fi film series. The distribution rights to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Dune: Part Two, as well as HBO series Dune: Prophecy will now be headed to Netflix, which could give the franchise new opportunities for growth in spinoffs, sequels, and interludes. This is unlikely to disrupt the upcoming release plans for Dune: Part Three, scheduled for December 18, 2026, as the acquisition may not be finalized before then.

7) Lord of the Rings

Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema co-own the film rights to J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fantasy novels, following adventures set on Middle-Earth. While Warner Bros. is the licensee, this won’t magically move the Tolkien IP to Netflix, as it’s the Embracer Group that owns The Lord of the Rings. Netflix will acquire the content library including The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim anime, so can expand the franchise as the studio’s owner, but won’t create blueprints for future projects.

6) The White Lotus

Although not technically part of a franchise, Mike White’s The White Lotus is one of HBO’s fastest-growing and most-popular shows, so the move to Netflix could see it reach even more viewers. Netflix has produced some incredible TV shows, including Squid Game, Stranger Things, Adolescence, 3 Body Problem, and more, so it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing for this anthology series to join the roster. The White Lotus is barreling towards its fourth season, and while Netflix’s upcoming plans with HBO, HBO Max, and that corner of Warner Bros. library are unclear, The White Lotus will still go strong.

5) The Sopranos

Developed by HBO Entertainment between 1999 and 2007, The Sopranos is perhaps the best example of the prestige TV produced by Warner Bros. set to head to Netflix after this acquisition. The Sopranos is celebrated as one of the most influential TV shows ever, so will be a huge asset to Netflix. Moving to the streamer means spinoffs and sequels to The Sopranos and The Many Saints of Newark—a prequel movie from 2021 following Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) in his 20s—could be put into motion, allowing The Sopranos to truly become part of a far-reaching franchise under Netflix.

4) The Matrix

Since The Matrix film series is co-produced and distributed worldwide by Warner Bros., these rights will also be making the move to Netflix. Most recently, The Matrix Resurrections reintroduced us to Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) in 2021, and it was revealed in April 2024 that a new instalment of The Matrix s in development at Warner Bros., though it’s unclear what the Netflix acquisition means for the franchise’s fifth project. Netflix gaining control over The Matrix could lead to an epic expansion of the franchise—which arguably hasn’t been developed and explored as much as we want.

3) Game of Thrones

Throughout its eight-season run, Game of Thrones broke viewership records for HBO, becoming one of the most far-reaching, revolutionary, and most-popular TV shows in history. This has led to the production of successful and highly-anticipated spinoffs including House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and more, which will all be controlled by Netflix following the acquisition. Westeros deserves to be explored in more detail, but HBO has often struggled to get spinoffs off the ground. Netflix may not have so many problems when getting shows into development, which could be good news for the franchise.

2) Harry Potter

One of the largest and most world-renowned franchises about to fall under Netflix’s control is the Wizarding World, including the likes of Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts movies. The upcoming Harry Potter reboot series on HBO will also be involved in the move, which could be game-changing for the reboot and any future spinoffs and sequels going forward. The new series will star Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, and Arabella Stanton as the titular Harry Potter and his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Grainger, but they may be finding a new home in Netflix for their scheduled 2027 premiere.

1) DC

Amid the conversation surrounding Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros., many have expressed concerns about how this might change the future of DC’s movie and TV franchises. Minds have been put somewhat at ease as James Gunn and Peter Safran appear to have been confirmed to be keeping their jobs as co-CEOs and creators as DC Studios, and Netflix’s control could actually be a good thing for their rebooted DC Universe. Movies and projects unfit for long theatrical releases could be developed specifically for Netflix, allowing for the expansion of the DCU far beyond normal theatrical releases. This could also be game-changing for the DCU’s upcoming TV shows, which could find fresh homes on Netflix.

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