David Ellison Promises 30 Films a Year, 45-Day Theatrical Window: “I Give You My Word”

Paramount/Skydance CEO David Ellison is doubling down on his promise to release 30 films theatrically once Paramount merges with Warner Bros.

He kicked off the studio’s CinemaCon presentation with the promise: “I wanted to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my word. The theatrical experience is also smart business. Nowhere else can you launch a multiplatform franchise that can grow and thrive for generations to come.”

Not just that, Ellison made an additional promise: all of Paramount’s films would have a 45-day theatrical window before hitting PVOD, with a 90-day window to its streaming release on Paramount+.

“People can speculate all they want, but I am standing here telling you personally that you can count on our complete commitment,” he said.

Before Ellison’s announcement, three of the major studios — Universal, Warner Bros., and Disney — had agreed to reinstate the 45-day window. Sony’s Tom Rothman has stated that he would as well. Paramount was the lone wolf, but not anymore. Things are slowly getting back on track.

As for thirty theatrical films a year, that’s a lot — and something that hasn’t really been achieved by a major studio in the modern era of filmmaking. Can a studio realistically manage that many globally appealing films in a year, handling everything from development to distribution? It’s ambitious. I do applaud Ellison for at least attempting it. We’ll see how it goes.

Ellison’s appearance comes a few days after an open letter with over 2,500 signatures began circulating in Hollywood, opposing Paramount’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Why wasn’t there this much pushback when Disney moved to acquire 21st Century Fox in 2017? The backlash to that merger felt more concentrated and less hostile, with none of the broad, public open-letter-style resistance we’re seeing right now.

Paramount’s presentation at CinemaCon was packed with titles: “Scary Movie,” “Street Fighter,” “Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie,” “Heart of the Beast,” “Jackass: Best and Last,” “Christmas Carol,” “Children of Blood and Bone,” “K-Pop Superstar,” “Mr. Irrelevant,” “The Angry Birds 3,” “Get Lite,” and “Hit Me Hard and Soft.”