With the film festival season underway, specialised media are preparing to travel to Venice, Telluride and Toronto in the coming weeks to assess the new films that will define the autumn cinema season.
The industry remains divided over the latest developments in the stalled merger between Paramount and Warner Bros., which faces an antitrust lawsuit filed by attorneys general from 12 Democratic states. Cinema chains, including Cinemark, AMC and Regal, have backed the proposal from Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, despite fears about fewer films becoming available. Ellison has promised 30 films annually from the new megastudio, tied to a projected production spend of 30 billion dollars. For context, Warner Bros. spent around 20 billion dollars in 2025, whilst Paramount invested approximately 15 billion.
A new study from Los Angeles County projects that consolidation will result in the loss of 4,500 jobs in film and television, with a reduction of 1.26 billion dollars in wages. Ellison has threatened to relocate operations out of Los Angeles and California if the deal does not go through, amid an ongoing production migration to other states with tax incentives.
David Robert Mitchell's film "The End of Oak Street" has posted disappointing box office numbers since its release a week ago, though higher than initial projections, especially considering that Warner Bros. has not actively promoted this dinosaur catastrophe film aimed at general audiences. "The Rivals of Amziah King", starring Matthew McConaughey, did not turn out to be the unexpected success that Black Bear had hoped for.
Among the recommendations, "Insidious: Out of the Further" is suggested to be avoided, whilst David Lowery's "Mother Mary", which features a standout performance from Anne Hathaway and is available on HBO Max, is recommended for audiences interested in the genre.
