Hollywood
Ben Affleck’s ‘Gone Girl’ to release in India on Diwali
NEW DELHI: Gone girl by David Fincher starring Ben Affleck will be released in the India on 23 October after a phenomenal American box office opening and rave reviews by expert critics.
With staggering positive reviews the movie has already got bumper box office numbers in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) territories with numbers expected to grow even further.
Gone Girl, based on a best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn, earned strong reviews from critics, with an 87 per cent positive rating on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.
Affleck stars as a writer who is caught in a media circus when his wife goes missing and the police suspect he is responsible.
It stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, and Carrie Coon. The film had its world premiere on opening night of the 52nd New York Film Festival on 26 September. It had its American theatrical release on 3 October.
The film examines dishonesty in the media, and the economy’s effects on marriage, and appearances.
The film opened the 52nd New York Film Festival, receiving high profile press coverage and early positive reviews.
Flincher is the film-maker behind The Social Network and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Published in 2012, Flynn’s novel has sold more than six million copies. Earlier this year, she was commissioned by the Hogarth Shakespeare project to rewrite The Bard’s tragedy Hamlet.
Hollywood
Paramount Skydance secures financing for Warner Bros Discovery deal
Debt syndication and new loans push $111 billion merger closer to close
WASHINGTON: Paramount Skydance has taken a major step towards its planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, securing fresh financing and completing the syndication of its bridge loan facility.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company confirmed that the bridge facility has now been distributed among a group of 18 banks, reducing total commitments to $49 billion from an earlier $54 billion. The move spreads risk across lenders and signals growing confidence in one of the year’s largest media deals.
Alongside this, the company has finalised permanent financing arrangements, including $5 billion in senior term loans and a $5 billion revolving credit facility. A previously planned $3.5 billion credit line has been dropped as part of the restructuring.
The loans are secured against key assets, including Paramount Global, Skydance Media and Warner Bros post-merger, underlining the scale and complexity of the transaction.
The financing push follows a competitive bidding process earlier this year, which saw interest from players such as Netflix before Paramount Skydance emerged as the frontrunner. The deal, valued at $111 billion, is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.
Adding to the momentum, the company has also secured significant equity backing, including investments from Middle Eastern funds, with support from billionaire Larry Ellison, who has guaranteed the equity portion of the transaction.
Commenting on the development, Paramount Skydance chief strategy officer Andy Gordon said, “Our successful debt syndication and new debt facilities represent another important milestone towards the completion of our acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.”
Once completed, the combined entity is expected to carry net debt of just under $80 billion, reflecting the sheer scale of the merger.
As Hollywood continues to consolidate in the streaming era, this deal could reshape the competitive landscape, with Paramount Skydance betting big on scale, content and financial muscle to take on global rivals.
