Is Paramount’s Merger-Hungry David Ellison Making it Up As He Goes?

[system1]

Originally published at: Is Paramount’s Merger-Hungry David Ellison Making it Up As He Goes? - TPM – Talking Points Memo

This article is part of Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. In “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” when Indiana Jones is asked how he intends to single-handedly stop a Nazi caravan he mutters, “I’m making this up as I go.” That improvisational approach by a signature Paramount hero appears to mirror that of the…

[theod]

We note with interest that Ellison’s “straight down the middle” opinion essay was completely silent about the component of foreign ownership that rightfully bothers people about the mega-purchase. How hard-hitting will any movie, news feature, 60Mins spot be when Foreign County Investor X commits some heinous act? Where will the corruption stories about Trump, Kushner, et alia be covered? ANSWER: They will be ignored by the Ellison Empire.

[bashful]

It’s probably easy to release 30 movies a year if half of them are AI-generated Christo-Fascist pandering which looks like Neil Breen brought a Chick Tract to life.

[lastroth]

@system1

As Hollywood historian and author Mark Harris posted on Bluesky, Ellison’s 30-movie promise sounds like “absurd fiction.” But it’s further evidence Paramount will say what’s necessary to try winning over theater chains, talent guilds, journalism critics, and Trump, who Ellison feted with a private dinner before the first stab at the White House Correspondents Association dinner in April, while awaiting regulatory approval.

Are there still movie theaters? It seems like studios now like to do smaller theater runs and get on streaming services faster.

[coprophagoussmile]

Oracle is the company most likely to collapse when the AI bubble pops. It is exceptionally vulnerable to OpenAI, Anthropic, and their feeder fish businesses (eg, Coreweave) defaulting on their commitments to data center buildout. It’s not clear how badly David Ellison would suffer if his father went bankrupt, but my sense is the failson is rather reliant upon daddy’s money.

[epicurus]

I trust Nepo Boy as far as I could pick him up and throw him. I’d love the chance, anyhow.

[tiowally]

Nice photo of Larry’s failson. He’s got some real Eric aka Qusay aka Beavis vibe going on there.

[benthere]

Kleptocracy + Oligarchy + MAGA + Fascism + Rottenness = Trumpism

[john_adams]

A merger is what you do when you’re a fucking imbecile with no clue how to run a business. Just confuse the talking haircuts on CNBC with a shiny object every few months and they’ll wank themselves stupid telling everyone what a genius you are.

[john_adams]

@lastroth

It seems like studios now like to do smaller theater runs and get on streaming services faster.

Not after seeing box office returns from The Odyssey and Spiderman they don’t.

[timlea]

I worked for this guy when he first started Skydance. To observe that he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer insults blunt kitchen equipment.

[dlnyc]

Another nepo baby Edgar Bronfman Jr. didn’t do too well, when he cashed in his liquor stock and went for media…..

AI Overview

Edgar Bronfman Jr.’s net worth did decline over the last 20 years. Estimated around $2 billion to $2.5 billion during his peak active media investing era in the mid-2000s, his publicly tracked liquid and visible net worth has dropped to roughly $750 million—representing a decline of about $1.25 billion to $1.75 billion.

[dpd]

His latest is a demand that the plaintiff states reimburse him for the ticking fees if he wins at trial. I’m not aware that that stunt has ever been tried before….