Regal CEO Backs Paramount-WBD Merger, Slams Antitrust Trial
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- Eduardo Acuna, CEO of Regal Global Entertainment — the No. 2 U.S. theater chain — publicly backed the union of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery, throwing exhibitor weight behind the deal.
- The Paramount-WBD merger is hung up pending an antitrust trial scheduled for March 2027, per the source.
- Acuna said the antitrust proceeding 'creates more uncertainty and distraction' for the studios and the exhibition business.
- The source labels Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery 'two historic studios,' underscoring the legacy scale of the proposed combination.
- Regal is the No. 2 theater chain in the U.S., giving Acuna's endorsement specific market weight among exhibitors that depend on the merged studios' output.
Why it matters: The CEO of America's No. 2 theater chain publicly backing a merger under federal antitrust scrutiny adds exhibitor pressure on the court ahead of the March 2027 trial. Acuna's framing — that the trial itself is the problem — reframes the legal fight as harmful business uncertainty rather than a legitimate competitive check.
