Show Goes on for Paramount with ‘Gladiator II,’ New Damien Chazelle Movie and More

 Chris Aronson, right, president of domestic theatrical distribution for Paramount Pictures, arrives via chariot to the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon 2024, Thursday, April 11, 2024, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (AP)
Chris Aronson, right, president of domestic theatrical distribution for Paramount Pictures, arrives via chariot to the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon 2024, Thursday, April 11, 2024, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (AP)
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Show Goes on for Paramount with ‘Gladiator II,’ New Damien Chazelle Movie and More

 Chris Aronson, right, president of domestic theatrical distribution for Paramount Pictures, arrives via chariot to the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon 2024, Thursday, April 11, 2024, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (AP)
Chris Aronson, right, president of domestic theatrical distribution for Paramount Pictures, arrives via chariot to the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon 2024, Thursday, April 11, 2024, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (AP)

With reports and rumors swirling about possible mergers and bids to acquire Paramount, the film studio put its best foot forward for theater owners at CinemaCon on Thursday.

The historic studio announced a new film with Oscar-winning “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle, a “G.I. Joe/Transformers” crossover and that Glen Powell will star in Edgar Wight’s “Running Man” reboot.

Paramount CEO and President Brian Robbins also teased some more that are in development, including a Bee Gees film from Ridley Scott, a new comedy from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, a “Star Trek” origin story, a new “Scary Movie” and an R-rated live action “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin” as well as an animated “Mutant Mayhem” sequel.

They also brought out stars like Chris Hemsworth and Lupita Nyong’o to talk about their upcoming films, with video messages from Scott, Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal, who helped introduce new footage from “Gladiator II.”

Washington promised, “Emotion, action and spectacle unlike anything else you’re going to see in theaters this year.”

Paramount had a positive start to 2024 with successful releases like “Mean Girls” and “Bob Marley: One Love,” and some major films to come this year including “A Quiet Place: Day One” (June 28), the animated “Transformers One” (Sept. 13), a “Smile” sequel (Oct. 18) and the “Gladiator” sequel (Nov. 22). They will also re-release Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” in September for its 10th anniversary, and, in 2025, “Mission: Impossible 8.” But hovering over it all are the reports of the company’s sale.

The private-equity firm Apollo Global reportedly offered $11 billion to acquire the studio, which has filmed entertainment, television and streaming components like Paramount+. There have also been reports of a possible merger with Skydance, David Ellison’s media company that has helped produce such Paramount releases as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.”

Without directly addressing them, Paramount leaned into the chatter with Robbins joking that the studio’s distribution head Chris Aronson has started a Kickstarter to throw his hat into the ring.

While the tone at CinemaCon, a weeklong gathering of theater owners, exhibitors and all the various companies involved in movie theater operations and experiences, is usually overwhelmingly positive, Aronson took a more sober approach.

After entering the presentation in a Roman chariot holding a shield emblazoned with the Paramount logo, he noted that the industry has lost a fair amount of frequent moviegoers and must work to get them back with capital improvements to theaters and other innovations.

The domestic box office has improved year after year since the pandemic, but is still about $2 billion shy of where the business was pre-pandemic.

“Our industry is at a turning point,” Aronson said. “It’s quite clear that moviegoers still love going to the movies, but we as an industry must do better.”



Reel Tensions: Trump Film Trade War Looms over Cannes

President Donald Trump has added a trade war to the cinema industry's list of concerns. Jim WATSON / AFP
President Donald Trump has added a trade war to the cinema industry's list of concerns. Jim WATSON / AFP
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Reel Tensions: Trump Film Trade War Looms over Cannes

President Donald Trump has added a trade war to the cinema industry's list of concerns. Jim WATSON / AFP
President Donald Trump has added a trade war to the cinema industry's list of concerns. Jim WATSON / AFP

Donald Trump's threat of tariffs on foreign-made films risks stoking tensions between the European and American film industries and dominating conversations at the Cannes film festival this week.

The US president has added a trade war to the sector's list of concerns that already included competition from streaming platforms.

The already tricky commercial outlook for big-screen owners and film producers darkened considerably last Sunday when Trump said he wanted 100-percent tariffs on movies "produced in foreign lands", AFP said.

Even if most observers think the proposal is unworkable, it risks destabilizing an industry that is highly globalized and depends on open trade.

"It'll be one of the big issues in Cannes," said Eric Marti from US-based media measurement agency Comscore.

He said statements from another American leader -- the co-CEO of Netflix, Ted Sarandos -- had also focused minds.

Sarandos said recently that cinema-going was "an outmoded idea for most people", pointing to the fact that audience numbers worldwide have not rebounded since the Covid pandemic.

The festival in Cannes from Tuesday will see directors, actors and distributors try to make sense of Trump's intentions and those of his Hollywood advisors, actors Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone.

"We're a bit perplexed," Marti told AFP. "We don't know how it's going to work in practice."

- Extortion? -

Trump's tariff salvo is part of a picture of growing tension between Europe and the US over the film and TV industries since the former reality TV star returned to the White House in January.

As part of his ultra-nationalist "Make America Great Again" agenda, Trump's Republican administration also has EU regulations that protect and promote European cinema in its crosshairs.

The regulations take many forms but typically include measures such as taxing cinema tickets to fund independent filmmakers, quotas for European or non-English-language productions, or forcing major studios to fund domestic productions.

In France, American streaming platforms Netflix, Amazon and Disney have to invest in French-language films or series in order to operate in the country.

In a February 21 memo, Trump took aim at what he called "overseas extortion", with a particular mention of laws that "require American streaming services to fund local productions".

American film industry groups such as the Motion Picture Association and the Directors Guild of America (DGA) have also lobbied the Trump administration to protest against European regulations.

A group of leading French film figures, including "Emilia Perez" director and Cannes winner Jacques Audiard, fired back with an open letter to the DGA last month.

"At a time when the gap between the United States and the rest of the world is widening, we believe it is more important than ever for European and American filmmakers to remain united," they wrote.

French Culture Minister Rachida Dati vowed last week to defend French films "whatever the cost", noting that "on the other side of the Atlantic, powerful players in this industry are hostile to the French cultural exception".

Critics

Cannes has always championed independent arthouse films but it also reserves part of its program to Hollywood blockbusters made by major American studios to attract audiences.

This year will see Tom Cruise return for the world premiere of the latest and last instalment of his "Mission: Impossible" series, three years after he lit up the Riviera while promoting "Top Gun: Maverick".

While he can be expected to steer clear of politics and controversy, there will be plenty of Trump critics in attendance.

"Taxi Driver" star Robert De Niro, who is set to receive an honorary Palme d'Or, is one of the most outspoken, often struggling to find words harsh enough to condemn Trump.

Fellow New Yorker Spike Lee, who will present his film "Highest 2 Lowest" with Denzel Washington, raged against him in Cannes on 2018 after Trump refused to denounce violent far-right protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Trump's lawyers called the film "garbage" and "pure malicious defamation" when it came out on the eve of last November's presidential election.

Strong is set to return to Cannes this year as a jury member.