Why 'The End of Oak Street' Deserved Better at the Box Office

Key Points:

• The Paramount-Warner Bros. merger faces antitrust challenges from 12 Democratic state attorneys general, despite support from major exhibition chains like Cinemark, AMC, and Regal, who back David Ellison’s vision promising 30 films annually and a $30 billion production budget.
• A new L.A. County study predicts the merger could result in the loss of 4,500 film and TV jobs and $1.26 billion in wages, potentially accelerating the migration of production out of Los Angeles and California due to tax incentives elsewhere.
• Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has threatened to move operations out of California if the merger does not proceed, highlighting the high stakes for the local industry amid ongoing consolidation.
• Recent film updates include David Robert Mitchell’s “The End of Oak Street” performing better than expected despite low promotion, while Matthew McConaughey’s “The Rivals of Amziah King” failed to become the sleeper hit anticipated by Black Bear.
• Podcast co-hosts recommend avoiding “Insidious: Out of the Further,” but praise David Lowery’s “Mother Mary,” featuring Anne Hathaway, now streaming on HBO Max.