Paramount-WBD movie slate could dominate 2027. Can it hold up?

Hollywood may soon have a new king of the box office.

with Paramount Skydance Set to take over Warner Bros. Discoverycombined movie studios could dominate the theatrical slate.

Paramount CEO David Ellison has repeatedly promised not to back away from production from either studio, with a goal of producing 30 films a year — 15 from Paramount and 15 from Warner Bros. The pending deal, which has an enterprise value of $111 billion, still must receive regulatory approval in both the United States and Europe.

As of the current 2027 slate, the combination of WBD and Paramount will result in 26 theatrical releases. However, additions to that calendar could come as soon as April at the annual CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas.

Warner Bros. titles dominate. On this behemoth, these films will likely represent the bulk of ticket sales.

The studio is set to release films from major franchises including Godzilla-Kong, Superman, Batman, Minecraft, The Conjuring Universe, Gremlins, and Lord of the Rings.

Meanwhile, Paramount will have new entries for the Sonic the Hedgehog, Paranormal Activity, A Quiet Place, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated franchises.

While Paramount’s franchises are hugely popular and have had strong ticket sales at the box office, their major releases in 2027 are smaller-budget features. In fact, no film in any of these four franchises has grossed more than $350 million globally, according to data from Comscore. But with smaller budgets, it doesn’t have to be profitable.

Warner Bros. On the other hand, part of the slate contains bigger budget features that in the past have generated greater returns at the box office. The most recent Godzilla-Kong movie grossed $572 million globally, 2025’s The Conjuring: Last Rites grossed nearly $500 million, The Batman grossed $772 million, and A Minecraft Movie grossed nearly $1 billion.

“When you look at the films that are on the horizon from the PAR/WBD group, it’s even more impressive,” Paul Dergarabedian, head of market trends at Comscore, told CNBC. “And it may not be an exaggeration to say that this list could actually have the potential to generate the biggest box office hits for a single studio in 2027.”

Warner Bros. is a movie studio. A big part of the reason Ellison was so committed to winning over WBD’s board and shareholders in a bidding war against… Comcast and Netflix. Last year, Warner Bros. The second highest grossing company at the domestic and international box office. Paramount came in fifth place.

Disney has long held the box office heavyweight title, although Universal briefly unseated it in 2023. Warner and Universal competed for second and third place, with Sony, Lionsgate and Paramount close behind.

“Doubling up on two major slate adds to the possibility that 2027 will be a very strong year, but nothing is ever certain when it comes to assuming a potential annual winner at the box office among studios,” said Sean Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory. “This is especially true when companies like Disney and Universal bring out their heavy hitters next year.”

Disney, in particular, has franchises like Ice Age, Star Wars, Frozen, and Avengers on its 2027 schedule.

Of course, franchise mainstays aren’t always guaranteed to be successful at the box office, but the combined efforts of Paramount and Warner Bros. It’s a compelling showcase for an industry that has shrunk dramatically over the past decade.

“The idea of ​​two major studios under one big umbrella in 2027 is an interesting prospect while raising some fair speculation,” Robbins said. “We have seen a decline in theatrical production in the years following Disney’s acquisition of Fox, although caveats like the pandemic and the streaming explosion skew that comparison somewhat.”

Paramount and Warner Bros.’ roster faces off. Compact also has some logistical issues. There are only 52 weekends on the calendar, and with 30 films, the studio will need to place its releases strategically so as not to eat up its ticket sales.

Robbins noted that rival studios typically only compete on the same weekend or on consecutive weekends if they are sure there is not a significant overlap in audience demographics. This is why a horror film is often released at the same time as a family-friendly animated film, for example.

In contrast, Robbins noted that Paramount is scheduled to release “Sonic the Hedgehog 4” just one week before Warner Bros. releases “Sonic the Hedgehog 4.” “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.”

“It wouldn’t come as a shock to see one of these changed earlier or later in the calendar since the original studio will want to minimize risk and do what’s best for the financial bottom line while remaining competitive,” he said.

While Ellison has touted a slate of 30 films in the years following 2027, it’s unclear if that future is even possible.

Traditionally, when two major studios merge, the number of films released decreases, and there is a large wave of layoffs as the merger eliminates redundancies. Not to mention, the marketing costs for big-budget films can be prohibitive.

“What will actually become normal for the newly united Paramount and Warner house remains to be seen,” Robbins said. “The longevity of such a roster in the years following 2027 will be difficult to produce, but never say it never happens.”

Disclosure: Versant is the parent company of CNBC and Fandango.