The noise of political and artistic pressure be damned – David Ellison just wants to go to the movies.
The Skydance mogul made a surprise appearance at CinemaCon on Thursday, directly addressing global movie theater owners and making some big promises for his vision of a combined Paramount-Warner Bros. Ellison and his team are currently awaiting regulatory approval for Paramount Global to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, less than a year after sealing the deal.
Alison made this announcement from the mic at the Las Vegas event TodayParamount Pictures will offer an exclusive window of 45 days to run its films in theaters. Other studios are promising to give exhibitors more time to pack audiences into their theaters before moving to paid and free streaming options. Universal Pictures will run for 45 days starting in 2027.
Additionally, Ellison said that Paramount will commit to a 3-month period to have its films live on the streaming video-on-demand platform, which is a paid digital release equivalent to a rental or home entertainment purchase, before the titles move to Paramount+.
When the transaction was completed, Ellison promised that Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. would make a “minimum” of 30 films for both studios’ theaters.
Ellison said, “At Paramount, we have already demonstrated – since launching the new company just eight months ago – our ability to increase output with 15 films currently dated for 2026, plus eight more in 2025.” “We want to tell even more great stories on the big screen – stories that make people think, laugh, dream, surprise and feel – and we want to share them with the widest audience possible.”
A spectacular short film celebrating the past, present and future of Paramount Pictures – directed by new Paramount talent Jon M. Chu – preceded Ellison’s remarks. The short film was narrated by Tom Cruise, and featured a host of stars and filmmakers, including Timothée Chalamet, Teyana Taylor, Mark Wahlberg, Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner, Will Smith, Molly Ringwald, Travis Scott, John Krasinski, Issa Rae, and the Duffer Brothers.
Alison also dabbled in some self-deprecation, citing her 2006 big-screen acting debut (and giving our publication a shout-out).
“We’ve been through a lot together over the last twenty years. Early in my career, we partnered together in ‘Flyboys’ and what did i give you Diversity It was called one of the biggest bombs of 2006,” Ellison concluded. “Sorry about that.”
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