AMC’s Adam Aron backs David Ellison’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery

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With Hollywood divided about the potential merger of Paramount and Skydance, and Warner Bros. Discovery’s involvement, AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron is publicly backing David Ellison.

The head of the movie theater chain is confident that Ellison, the CEO of Paramount, will keep his word and ensure the merged company releases 30 movies annually – with 15 coming from Paramount and 15 from Warner Bros.

Many leaders in the movie theater business are unsure if the stated goals are achievable, especially considering planned cost reductions following the merger. Theater owners are especially concerned that fewer new movies will undo the recent recovery the box office has experienced since the start of the pandemic.

At the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas on Wednesday, AMC CEO Adam Aron shared his strong support for David Ellison. He praised Ellison’s skills as both a director and studio leader, and expressed confidence in his plans to boost film production at Paramount and Warner Bros.

Aron believes Ellison will honor the request to show movies in cinemas for at least 45 days before offering them for rent or purchase online, and significantly later on streaming platforms.

The practice of ‘windowing’—how long a movie plays in theaters before becoming available for home viewing—became more debated after the pandemic. This happened because some studios started shortening that theatrical release window.

I’m really excited about David and truly believe he’ll deliver on what he’s promised. I have a strong feeling this will ultimately be a positive step, not just for our company, but for the whole industry too.

He expressed hope that Warner Bros.’ current leaders, Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, will continue to succeed in their roles. Under their leadership, Warner Bros. received a leading 30 Oscar nominations – and ultimately won 11 Academy Awards, including the award for Best Picture – more than any other studio this year.

Aron believes the theater industry is finally recovering after several challenging years.

Movie ticket sales in the U.S. have increased by over 20% this year compared to last year, leading industry experts to believe 2026 will see a recovery from the financial struggles caused by the pandemic.

AMC experienced a slight drop in moviegoers last year – about 2.1% fewer people attended compared to 2024. However, with a promising schedule of new films this year, the company’s CEO is optimistic that overall revenue and profits will increase.

The company is focused on reducing the debt it accumulated during the pandemic. They’ve already made significant progress, lowering their debt from a high of $6 billion in 2020 to $4 billion, according to Aron.

He stated that 2026 is projected to be a strong year, with increased revenue and profits allowing them to significantly improve their financial position by reducing debt and securing more favorable payment terms.

Aron verified reports that Ted Sarandos, a co-CEO of Netflix, recently met with several movie theater executives in Las Vegas. He characterized the meeting as a general introduction, not focused on negotiating any specific deals, as it took place in a larger group setting.

I’ve always found the history between Netflix and AMC fascinating. For a long time, Netflix refused to release movies in theaters first, which really frustrated AMC and caused a lot of tension between the two companies.

Recently, the two companies have collaborated on a number of events, such as a Halloween showing of the popular animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” New Year’s Eve screenings of the final “Stranger Things” episode, and the premiere of the first two episodes of Netflix’s “One Piece.”

Aron stated that AMC fully supported all three projects and both companies were happy with how they turned out.

According to one representative, both AMC and Netflix have expressed hope for a continuing partnership and anticipate working on more projects together. While specific plans are still unknown, they are optimistic about future collaborations in the coming months and years.

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2026-04-16 13:32