Paramount Promises 30 Films a Year if Warner Bros. Acquisition Goes Through

Paramount Skydance is ready to put in writing one of the promises with which David Ellison is trying to support the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery: the new cinematic giant should bring at least 30 films to theaters every year.

According to Bloomberg, Paramount has proposed 3-year agreements to AMC Entertainment and Regal Cinemas, contingent on the deal's completion. The agreement would also include an exclusive theatrical window of at least 45 days and a minimum 90-day wait before films arrive on streaming platforms. Failure to meet these commitments could also trigger financial penalties.

Ellison's Bet on Theaters

The proposal comes as the approximately $110 billion acquisition continues to face antitrust opposition. Guaranteeing exhibitors a stable flow of film productions would therefore also be a way to reassure the industry about the consequences of the merger.

The real question, however, concerns the audience. Thirty releases a year do not automatically mean thirty successes, especially in a market where viewers seem to be increasingly focusing on films capable of becoming true events. For theaters, however, the return to longer theatrical windows would already be an important signal after years of experimentation that have rapidly brought cinema and streaming closer.