Mediawan's Pierre-Antoine Capton and others weigh in on how the enlarged company will impact the global marketplace
\n\nAfter nearly a year of dealmaking drama, Paramount Skydance‘s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery is about to become reality. Across Europe, where the Paramount chief David Ellison has spent time courting support for his vision of building a Hollywood colossus, the mood is surprisingly upbeat.
\n\nThe debt-laden $111 billion merger is set to close Oct. 6 after a federal judge signed off on Paramount’s settlement of the antitrust lawsuit filed by 12 states in July.
\n\nUnder that deal, the company has strict obligations for movies and for theatrical exhibition. The combined company is legally obligated to release at least 30 films theatrically in each of its first two years and 32 a year in years three through five, with a 45-day theatrical window for wide releases and a 90-day hold before they reach subscription streaming. Paramount has also committed an additional $300 million a year, or $1.5 billion over five years, to U.S. film production.
\n\nThat last pledge matters for Europe, which has become one of Hollywood’s busiest production hubs and where the merger got antitrust approvals faster than in the U.S. The…
Original source: https://variety.com/