Cinemark backs the Paramount–Warner Bros. merger, splitting America's cinema chains
Cinemark, the third-largest cinema chain in the United States, has thrown its support behind the proposed $110 billion merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery — even as rival theatre owners line up against the deal and a federal judge has hit pause on the whole transaction.
Sean Gamble, Cinemark's chief executive, told an investors conference in March that a "longtime supporter of theatrical exhibition" had prevailed in the combined company's leadership, framing the merger as good for the big-screen business (The Hollywood Reporter). But as of a Variety report dated 11 August, Cinemark had not formally or officially endorsed the transaction, leaving its position somewhere between vocal enthusiasm and a signed commitment (Variety).
The split among exhibitors is sharp. Adam Aron, chief executive of AMC Entertainment, has spoken in favour of the deal — a stance that, according to Variety, blindsided leaders of Cinema United, the trade group that represents theatre owners. Other exhibitor voices have moved the other way: a theatre group told a court in April that combining Warner Bros. and Paramount would harm cinemas and consumers (Reuters). In July, U.S. state officials suing to block the deal argued it could squeeze local movie theatres by concentrating too much power in one studio's hands (Reuters).
The deal itself is on hold. A federal judge ruled on 20 July that Paramount Skydance must pause its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery through 3 August 2026, pending further legal review (Reuters). The transaction would unite two of Hollywood's legacy studios under one corporate roof — a combination that, depending on where you sit, either strengthens theatrical releases or threatens the independent cinema down the street.
Cinemark brings real weight to the conversation. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, the company operates roughly 500 theatres across 42 U.S. states and 13 South and Central American countries (Cinemark Investor Relations). In the United States alone it runs 301 theatres with 4,219 screens; across Latin America, 194 theatres with 1,401 screens. Its theatres carry Cinemark XD, the company's premium large-format brand, fitted with Barco laser projection, Luxury Lounger recliners and D-BOX motion seats — the kind of upgraded auditorium that studios count on to drive opening-weekend grosses.
For moviegoers, the question is whether fewer, bigger studios means fewer choices at the multiplex or more resources behind the films that fill those recliners. Cinemark is betting on the latter. A federal court, and a coalition of state attorneys general, are not so sure.
