Statement of the National Association of Theatre Owners Regarding the Proposed Paramount Global and Skydance Media Merger
On behalf of theatre owners across the United States and around the world, NATO will look closely at the details of the proposed merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media. Our guiding principle in this analysis will be whether this transaction will result in more movies being made for the global theatre-going audience or less. We are encouraged by the commitment that David Ellison and the Skydance Media team have shown to theatrical exhibition in the past.
A transaction that reaffirms Paramount’s historical commitment to theatrical exhibition will benefit consumers by ensuring a wide array of films, across all genres and budgets, that are synonymous with Paramount’s proud legacy. Movies like The Godfather, Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible, Terms of Endearment, Beverly Hills Cop, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Forrest Gump, Raiders of the Lost Ark, among others, all of which are best experienced in a theatre full of movie fans.
Conversely, a merger that results in fewer movies being produced will not only hurt consumers and result in less revenue, but negatively impact people that work in all sectors of this great industry – creative, distribution and exhibition.
A Paramount that recognizes the unique place of theatres in communities across this nation and around the world will be a catalyst for more movie options being available for movie fans today and for generations of new fans in the years ahead.
We look forward to hearing more about this proposal and working with all interested parties in achieving the critical goal of more movies on the big screen.