Block the Paramount-Warner Megamerger: Protect Warner Archive and Save Real Theater Window
The Issue
To All Film Preservationists, Movie Theater Workers, and Cinema Purists:
On June 12, 2026, the federal DOJ approved Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. This megamerger is an immediate, direct threat to the survival of cinema history and the livelihoods of thousands of working-class creatives.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has promised to release 30 films annually to appease critics. But this promise is entirely hollow. These films will operate on a short, 45-day theatrical window, turning cinema into disposable streaming assets and driving audiences away from brick-and-mortar screens.
Worse yet, this corporate consolidation will ruthlessly DESTROY A LOT OF JOBS. To satisfy Wall Street spreadsheets and cut overhead costs, this merger will trigger massive, devastating layoffs across local Hollywood animation crews, post-production teams, theater logistics staff, and internal home video divisions. Historic preservation teams like the Warner Archive Collection will be completely dismantled and outsourced, permanently erasing human craftsmanship and dedicated film restoration careers.
We cannot rely on the federal government to defend our culture. The survival of independent film distribution, human jobs, and physical archives now rests entirely with our State Attorneys General. We call on California AG Rob Bonta and the multi-state blue coalition to file an immediate permanent injunction and BLOCK THIS MERGER in federal court. Save our jobs, save our theaters, save Warner Archive, and keep cinema human! Sign now and use the hashtag #BlockTheMerger!
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The Issue
To All Film Preservationists, Movie Theater Workers, and Cinema Purists:
On June 12, 2026, the federal DOJ approved Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. This megamerger is an immediate, direct threat to the survival of cinema history and the livelihoods of thousands of working-class creatives.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has promised to release 30 films annually to appease critics. But this promise is entirely hollow. These films will operate on a short, 45-day theatrical window, turning cinema into disposable streaming assets and driving audiences away from brick-and-mortar screens.
Worse yet, this corporate consolidation will ruthlessly DESTROY A LOT OF JOBS. To satisfy Wall Street spreadsheets and cut overhead costs, this merger will trigger massive, devastating layoffs across local Hollywood animation crews, post-production teams, theater logistics staff, and internal home video divisions. Historic preservation teams like the Warner Archive Collection will be completely dismantled and outsourced, permanently erasing human craftsmanship and dedicated film restoration careers.
We cannot rely on the federal government to defend our culture. The survival of independent film distribution, human jobs, and physical archives now rests entirely with our State Attorneys General. We call on California AG Rob Bonta and the multi-state blue coalition to file an immediate permanent injunction and BLOCK THIS MERGER in federal court. Save our jobs, save our theaters, save Warner Archive, and keep cinema human! Sign now and use the hashtag #BlockTheMerger!
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Petition created on June 16, 2026