If you ever wanted to see a list of famous people who are actually agreeing on something, just look at the latest protest letter against the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery takeover. Over 1,000 creators, including big names like Ben Stiller and Joaquin Phoenix, have signed a letter saying they absolutely hate this $111 billion deal. It turns out that when you smash two massive studios together, the actors start to worry about more than just their lighting.
These A-listers are convinced that this merger will not have a Hollywood ending. They think it will lead to fewer films, massive job losses, and a world where we all have about five things left to watch on a Friday night. If this deal goes through, the number of major US film studios will drop to just four. That is less choice than you get in a petrol station meal deal.
The Six Billion Dollar Haircut
Paramount wants to save $6 billion by cutting out duplication. In plain English, that means they want to fire people who do the same job at both companies. Warner Bros. staff are currently sweating because nobody wants to be the duplicate that gets deleted.
The boss, David Ellison, promised that this new mega-studio will release at least 30 movies a year for the big screen. He claims that merging their powers will actually help them green-light more projects. Of course, he would say that. He is the one holding the giant scissors. Hollywood was already in a bit of a state before this. Jobs in the industry have dropped by 30% since 2022 because streaming platforms decided that actually making money is more important than making a million shows nobody watches.
Popcorn Problems
It is not just the actors who are annoyed. The people who sell you overpriced popcorn and fizzy drinks are also fuming. Cinema United, which represents 31,000 screens, has asked the authorities to investigate the deal. They are worried that if fewer movies come out, their theatres will stay empty. The box office has already been looking a bit thin lately, and they do not want to see their business go the way of the silent movie.
The federal regulators will probably give this merger the thumbs up, but California’s Attorney General, Rob Bonta, is promising a vigorous fight. It seems the state authorities might be the only ones standing between us and a future where every movie stars a CGI version of the same four people.
We can only hope that Hollywood finds a way to survive without becoming one giant, boring company that only makes sequels. After all, if the studios keep merging, eventually we will just have one giant screen playing a 24 hour loop of a cat chasing a laser pointer.
Do you think a studio release of 30 movies a year is plenty, or should we be worried that the big screen is becoming a very small club?
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