Paramount Skydance is trying to get movie theaters to back its plan to buy Warner Bros.Discovery.To do this, they have made promises about how many movies they will show in theaters each year and for how long.CEO David Ellison has promised to show at least 30 films a year for three years after the deal is done.These films will be available in theaters for a minimum of 45 days before they come out on premium video on demand and 90 days before they appear on streaming platforms.
Three people who know about the talks told TheWrap that Paramount has offered to make these promises into a written agreement with theater chains.
This has helped get support from the two biggest theater chains in the U.S., AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas, and the British chain Vue Cinemas.All of these chains have said they support the merger.
In a statement on Thursday, Regal’s CEO Eduardo Acuna asked the whole movie theater industry and California Attorney General Rob Bonta to work together to settle the issues.
After years of low box office sales due to the pandemic and strikes, theaters have seen a recent surge thanks to big hits like *Michael*, *Toy Story 5*, *Obsession*, and the latest films *The Odyssey* and *Spider-Man: Brand New Day*.
Acuna wrote, “It’s time for all parties to sit down and work out how to formalize these commitments.
With these measures in place, we believe that Paramount can be an effective steward of these studios that mean an enormous amount to people who love movies.”
The written offers are part of a bigger effort by Paramount Skydance to get support from top entertainment leaders for the merger.
The company is also pushing for a settlement with Rob Bonta and the 11 other state attorneys generals who are fighting the deal, ahead of a trial in March 2027.
This week, the UK’s antitrust division approved the merger, even though the Culture Minister was thinking about stopping it.
That leaves the Bonta lawsuit as the last big obstacle before the deal can be completed.
While Paramount has won support from three major theater chains, some smaller chains are still worried.
They say they don’t believe Paramount and Ellison’s promises will make the movie industry better, pointing to how 20th Century Fox’s movie output dropped a lot after Disney bought it in 2019.
Other concerns include how revenue from box office sales is split and “clean screen” terms, which require a film to be shown exclusively for a set time.
These terms, according to Bonta’s lawsuit, could make it harder for theaters if the market becomes more concentrated.
Cinema United, which represents many theater chains, is against buying Warner Bros.
Discovery and supports Bonta’s lawsuit.But the group is open to future talks with Paramount.An insider said Cinema United sent a letter to Paramount back in July listing their concerns, but they haven’t been in contact since.
Regal didn’t comment beyond Acuna’s statement.
TheWrap has asked Paramount for a response.The news about the offers first came from Bloomberg.
