David Ellison vows Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger won’t cut film output

Culture & TrendsDavid Ellison vows Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger won't cut film outputThe Paramount Skydance chief spoke at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday, after opting out of a congressional hearing on the merger earlier this week.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00David Ellison, CEO of Paramount, on April 16 in Las Vegas.Gabe Ginsberg / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 16, 2026, 2:30 PM EDTBy Rebecca KeeganLAS VEGAS, Nev. — Paramount Skydance Chief David Ellison made a surprise appearance at CinemaCon on Thursday, assuring movie theater owners that the studio’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery would not hurt the movie business.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“I wanted to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my word: Once we combine with Warner Bros., we are going to make a minimum of 30 films annually, across both studios,” he told attendees of CinemaCon, the annual industry event where studios bring in their stars and offer a sneak peek at their upcoming slates.His speech came just days after Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., sent a letter to the studio executive requesting that he testify about the impact of the deal at a hearing that took place on Wednesday. Paramount’s head of public policy responded to the senator saying that Ellison couldn’t attend the hearing “as he is attending a funeral due to a death in the family,” according to a copy of the letter, which was obtained by NBC News. A representative for Ellison said he attended the funeral on Wednesday. Ellison appeared on stage for Paramount’s presentation after a glossy promotional video directed by Jon M. Chu, which featured Tom Cruise sitting atop the Paramount water tower, as well as other stars and filmmakers, such as Timothée Chalamet, James Cameron, Teyana Taylor and Johnny Knoxville.Ellison agreed to a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in late February,...