Tony Gilroy chose the world premiere of “Behemoth!” at the 64th New York Film Festival to take aim at the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. The filmmaker told Variety the deal is “tragic” and warned it tears at the structure that lets mid-budget adult films reach theaters.
“The business is solid, and to destroy the architecture that made it so in the name of venture capital, it’s tragic.”
Gilroy was speaking Friday at Alice Tully Hall, where his $36 million drama screened as the festival centerpiece. The slot sits between James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” and Ava DuVernay’s “14th,” a lineup he praised as a bright spot in a turbulent period.
A $36 million argument for the middle of the slate
Starring Pedro Pascal as a cellist pulled into the world of film scoring, “Behemoth!” was produced for $36 million and backed by Searchlight Pictures, Disney’s indie label. Gilroy said it is “not an easy movie to greenlight, and it’s not an easy movie to sell.” That is the point: this budget band once supplied theaters with adult dramas and filmmaker-driven stories.
Gilroy described the business itself as healthy and beautiful, and said demand is visible in everyday conversation—what people watched, what episode they are on. The risk, he argued, is not consumer interest but the dismantling of the market structure built around it.
What changes on Oct. 6
Skydance has tentatively set Tuesday, Oct. 6 to close the merger, placing Paramount and Warner Bros. under one corporate owner. The deal turns Hollywood’s traditional Big Five studios—Disney, Universal, Sony, Warner Bros., Paramount—into four corporate owners. David Ellison has said the two studio identities will remain separate.
Gilroy and “Behemoth!” producer Sanne Wohlenberg are not convinced that labels guarantee continuity. Wohlenberg told Variety the consolidation will make “the competitive nature of the industry and possibilities for a filmmaker alarmingly limited.”
Why this matters for media planners
Fewer owners usually means fewer independent buyers, more centralised slate calls, and tighter marketing windows for non-franchise titles. After the close, ScreenStat will watch:
- First post-close greenlights: the balance of original dramas versus franchise IP will show what Skydance protects.
- Release windows and marketing spend: mid-budget adult titles are usually first to lose support when risk rises.
- Talent movement: if filmmakers follow financing to streamers or indies, the studio pipeline narrows further.
For media teams, the practical takeaway is not to model the two studios as separate competitors just yet. Keep flexibility in cinema and streaming budgets tied to their titles until the integrated slate and release calendar become clear.
The merger may close on schedule, but the more telling data will arrive months later in greenlight, windowing and marketing decisions.
Source: Variety
