Paramount Reveals Its Plan For Theatrical Releases and Streaming After Warner Bros. Merger (And Cinephiles May Breathe A Little Easier)

The news that Paramount succeeded in its hostile takeover and will buy Warner Bros. was met with fear and uneasiness from movie fans. Most of the reasons people are scared have to do with the fear that certain movie franchises will end up drastically changed. This is thanks to differing views on the themes of films that fans expect to see with the new leadership’s values. However, there was another fear, and that is the fact that no matter who bought the studio, the theatrical releases would take a massive hit. That might not be true if the latest news about Paramount’s views on theatrical releases is true.

According to the DiscussingFilm X account, Paramount said the company will release 30 movies per year into theaters at a minimum. The news indicates there will be 15 Warner Bros. movies released and 15 more from Paramount Pictures. The better news is that Paramount claims it will promote the theatrical experience by ensuring the 45-day theatrical window remains in place for each movie’s release.

Paramount Paying a Huge Sum for Warner Bros.

The idea that Paramount is trumpeting the idea of increasing theatrical releases and focusing on them over streaming is good news for movie fans. However, it is also smart for Paramount to say right now. After the news broke that Paramount was buying Warner Bros. by forcing Netflix’s hand, the theater owners’ trade organization, Cinema United, President and CEO Michael O’Leary said they are against Paramount buying Warner Bros.

With the amount of money that Paramount is paying, the studio needs as much support as it can get. Paramount’s deal is $110 billion, plus, since the Netflix deal was already signed, another $2.88 billion to Netflix to terminate the agreement. With all this money already paid just to own Warner Bros., that makes many feel Paramount is overestimating what they can spend to release 30 movies a year. In some ways, Netflix came out on top in the situation, at least in the short term.

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If anything, Paramount will control some of the biggest titles in movie history when the deal closes. Included in the deal are DC Comics, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat, Dune, and more. It also seems to come with the television networks, including TNT, TBS, Showtime, HBO Max, Cartoon Network, and more. In the end, Paramount will own a large number of properties, and what the company does with them will determine if it will soar or crash and burn. Promising to promote theatrical releases is at least a step in the right direction.

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