Cinema United urges California AG and Paramount to negotiate settlement of merger lawsuit
The trade group representing U.S. movie theaters asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Paramount CEO Brian Robbins to meet and discuss a resolution to the state's challenge of Paramount’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, outlining four conditions for any agreement.
Cinema United, the trade association for theatrical exhibition, sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Paramount Pictures chief executive Brian Robbins urging an immediate meeting to resolve the state’s pending lawsuit over Paramount’s proposed purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery. The organization, which represents independent and chain theaters across the United States, said the merger could affect local economies and the broader film market.
In the correspondence, Cinema United outlined four core elements it believes any settlement must contain: a long-term commitment to maintain or expand wide-release theatrical production with a meaningful period of exclusivity; provisions preventing higher rental fees for theaters, especially independents; enforceable safeguards guaranteeing broad access to films for theaters of all sizes; and continued, reasonable access to the combined film libraries of Paramount and Warner Bros.
The group emphasized that the theatrical experience remains an economic driver for surrounding businesses and that the industry is currently seeing strong audience demand and new investments in cinema facilities. It offered to assist the parties and called the proposed meeting a logical next step toward a resolution that would protect the industry’s long-term health.