Skydance co-CEO David Ellison framed the merger as a necessary scale-up to compete, projecting a combined domestic box office of $941.6M through Oct. 11.
Insiders are whispering about the strategic risk of releasing a $82M PG-13 blockbuster alongside a limited 4K re-release of Ken Russell’s controversial 1971 film The Devils.
Street Fighter opens in 3,500 theaters with a projected $70M global debut. The Devils is booked for 350 playdates. Combined PWB domestic box office stands at $941.6M.
The merger is live, and the strategy is bold: cast a wide net with Street Fighter while testing art-house waters with The Devils.
The Hollywood landscape just shifted under our feet, and the tea is scorching hot. The newly combined Paramount and Warner Bros. entity, driven by Skydance co-CEO David Ellison’s vision to scale up against industry giants, is finally testing its might. This weekend marks the debut of two wildly different titles under one corporate roof: Legendary’s Street Fighter and Clockwork’s limited 4K re-release of Ken Russell’s 1971 cult classic, The Devils.
It is a calculated move in a hyper-changing entertainment business, but the contrast between a $82M video game adaptation and a controversial art-house film has insiders buzzing with skepticism and curiosity. Street Fighter is the heavy lifter here, projected to command a No. 1 global and domestic rank with a near $70M worldwide opening. Directed by Kitao Sakurai, the PG-13 film is avoiding direct comparisons to the R-rated Mortal Kombat franchises, which opened to $23.3M in 2021 and $38.5M this summer.
Instead, the studio is banking on a broader demographic appeal, targeting families and younger men under 18. With 3,500 domestic theaters and a heavy IMAX footprint, the film is also releasing in all overseas territories except China, where Paramount lacks rights. The hope is to outperform the $31.2M overseas debut of Predator: Badlands, leveraging the game’s popularity in Latin America, the UK, and Asia.
On the other side of the merger ledger is The Devils, the first theatrical release for the new genre auteur label led by Christian Parkes. This limited 4K re-release of Ken Russell’s naughty Catholic movie is hitting 350 playdates in key U.S. and Canadian cities. It’s a stark contrast to the blockbuster strategy, signaling that the new entity intends to cater to myriad demos simultaneously.
While Street Fighter aims for the mainstream, The Devils tests the appetite for curated, high-brow cinema within the same corporate infrastructure. This dual-release strategy is a gamble that could either diversify the merger’s portfolio effectively or dilute its brand identity. Beyond the merger debut, the weekend box office is crowded with other notable performances. 20th Century Studios’ Whalefall, starring Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin, is projected for a $24M worldwide start on a $60M budget.
Meanwhile, Focus Features’ Sense and Sensibility remake, featuring Daisy Edgar-Jones, is expanding to 2,436 theaters with an eye on $8M domestic. The A24 documentary You Can See Everything, covering Elizabeth Holmes’ post-Theranos life, is also making waves with 100% RT reviews and potential $10M+ domestic success. As the combined Paramount and Warner Bros. entity sits at $941.6M domestic for the year, the pressure is on to hit the billion-dollar threshold by year-end with six more releases, including Dune: Part 3 and The Cat in the Hat.
