This is the same as acquiring the Washington Post or Twitter, right? It's more about media control than any classic business case.
Once you start meddling with the money machine it's not just Net Profit = Revenue – All Expenses (COGS + Operating Expenses + Interest + Taxes)
Netflix's deal included spinning off the news networks. If the Ellisons just wanted that, they could have had that for a considerably more digestible price point. They genuinely want Harry Potter and the Sopranos, too.
Hollywood is more glamorous which is fun, but the real value is how shifting which films and shows get made will also shift the national narrative.
Riefenstahl wasn't a journalist.