Paramount Pictures kept most of the focus of its CinemaCon presentation on “Top Gun: Maverick,” which got its first public screening at the Las Vegas gathering Thursday. But the studio still had a few other big announcements to make.
Among them were two title announcements for Paramount’s biggest franchises: “Mission: Impossible” and “A Quiet Place.” The seventh “M:I” film will be titled “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One” while the upcoming “Quiet Place” spinoff from director Michael Sarnoski will be called “A Quiet Place: Day One.” Both films are set for release next year.
Paramount also showed trailers for two other films coming this year: the animated “Paws of Fury” starring Michael Cera and Samuel L. Jackson, and Damien Chazelle’s upcoming drama set in Golden Age Hollywood “Babylon” starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie as a director/actor duo.
During the presentation, Paramount’s domestic distribution head Chris Aronson, who is known among exhibitors for his candid takes on the industry, challenged both theater owners and studios to step up their game in the coming year.
“We are not all the way back,” Aronson said. “Exhibitors need to provide the best experience possible, and we the studios need to provide the best content possible that audiences want to see in your theaters.”
Aronson also listed ways the moviegoing experience could be improved, getting particular applause when he suggested that theaters screen fewer trailers to avoid “numbing the audience to the point that the recall rate drops to nil.”
“Help us, to help you,” Aronson continued. “Let’s be proactive and not reactive. Let’s be bold. You’re back in business, we’re back in business, and let’s ensure this latest chapter is a win-win for all of us.”
Following the screening of “Top Gun: Maverick,” new Paramount CEO Brian Robbins joined the film’s director Joseph Kosinski and star Glen Powell at a lunch conference to discuss “Top Gun” and Paramount’s future. He told attendees that while he would take “as many ‘Top Guns’ as I can get,” he estimates that Paramount will likely release 10-12 films per year going forward, though he believes that number could reach 14-16 “under the right circumstances”
Paramount has been on a hot streak in 2022, having released four films that all reached No. 1 at the box office and have grossed over $370 million domestic combined. “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” has led the way with $148 million grossed in North America so far and nearly $300 million worldwide, but the studio has also enjoyed success at lower budget levels with “The Lost City,” “Jackass Forever” and the revival of “Scream.”