Paramount Skydance Offers 30-Film Written Pledge to Theaters as Merger Faces 12-State Suit
Updated
Updated · TheWrap · Aug 9
Paramount Skydance Offers 30-Film Written Pledge to Theaters as Merger Faces 12-State Suit
3 articles · Updated · TheWrap · Aug 9
Summary
Paramount Skydance told theater chains it would sign bilateral agreements guaranteeing at least 30 theatrical releases a year for three years after a Warner Bros. Discovery merger closes.
The offer would lock in a 45-day minimum theatrical window before premium video-on-demand and 90 days before streaming, turning David Ellison’s earlier pledge into a written commitment.
AMC, Regal and Vue have backed the deal, and Regal CEO Eduardo Acuna urged California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the wider industry to negotiate formal terms.
Smaller exhibitors and trade group Cinema United still oppose the merger, citing fears over reduced output, tougher revenue splits and "clean screen" demands in a more concentrated market.
UK antitrust approval this week removed a major obstacle, leaving the lawsuit from Bonta and 11 other state attorneys general ahead of a March 2027 trial as the main hurdle.