David Ellison says he just wants Americans to keep going to the movies, and reportedly set aside political and artistic pressure to make his point at CinemaCon. The Skydance leader showed up without warning, to talk to theater owners from around the world in Las Vegas. He explained his goals for Paramount Pictures once it combines with Warner Bros.
Ellison and his group still need approval from regulators to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, a move that comes less than one year after they finished buying Paramount Global. During his appearance he reiterated his rules for Paramount Pictures releases, committing the studio to offer a 45 day exclusive window for its movies to play in theaters. This gives exhibitors more time to pack in audiences before the films move to paid and free streaming options. Universal Pictures will start its 45 day window in 2027.
He also committed Paramount to a three month period on paid video on demand platforms. The films will stay there before they move to Paramount Plus. After the deal closes Ellison said the two studios will release at least 30 films for theaters. He also highlighted recent progress at Paramount. He noted that the studio has 15 films set for 2026. That is up from eight films in 2025. The increase came in just eight months since the new company started.
“At Paramount, we have already demonstrated our ability to increase output with 15 films currently dated for 2026, up from eight in 2025, since launching the new company just eight months ago,” said Ellison. “We want to tell even more great stories on the big screen, stories that make people think, laugh, dream, wonder and feel, and we want to share them with as broad an audience as possible.”
A short film played before his speech. It covered the history and future of Paramount Pictures. Jon M. Chu directed the piece. Tom Cruise did the narration. The short film included stars and filmmakers such as Timothée Chalamet, Teyana Taylor, Mark Wahlberg, Margaret Qualley, Callum Turner, Will Smith, Molly Ringwald, Travis Scott, John Krasinski, Issa Rae and the Duffer Brothers.
Ellison ended on a light note, joking about his acting debut in the 2006 film Flyboys.
“We have been through a lot together over the past twenty years. At the beginning of my career, we partnered together on Flyboys and I delivered to you what Variety called one of the biggest bombs of 2006,” he said. “Sorry about that.”
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English (US) · 