David Ellison Triples Down on Theatrical at CinemaCon - Variety

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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 about a combined Paramount -Warner Bros. Ellison and his team are currently awaiting regulatory approval to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, less than a year after sealing the deal for Paramount Global.

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Ellison mic-dropped at the Las Vegas event by announcing that as of today, Paramount Pictures will offer a 45-day exclusive window for their movies to play in theaters. Other studios have been pledging to give exhibitors more time to pack audiences into their theaters before moving to paid and free streaming options. Universal Pictures will hit 45 days starting in 2027.

Furthermore, Ellison said Paramount will commit to a 3-month period for their movies to live on streaming video-on-demand platforms, a paid digital release equivalent to a rental or home entertainment purchase, before titles head to Paramount+.

When the transaction is completed, Ellison pledged that Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. would make a “minimum” of 30 films for theaters across both studios.

“At Paramount, we've already demonstrated – since launching the new company just eight months ago – our ability to increase output with 15 films currently dated for 2026, up from eight in 2025,” 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 stunning short film celebrating Paramount Pictures’ past, present and future — directed by new Paramount talent Jon M. Chu — preceded Ellison’s remarks. The short was narrated by Tom Cruise, and featured a dizzying array 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.

Ellison even worked in some self-deprecation, referencing his 2006 big screen acting debut (and shouting out our publication).

“We've 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,” Ellison concluded. “Sorry about that.”

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