Hollywood
Cinepolis creates video to correlate the love between movies and popcorns
MUMBAI: On the occasion of National Popcorn Day on 19 January 2016, India’s first International cinema chain and the world’s fourth largest exhibitor, Cinépolis releases a heart-warming video celebrating the intrinsic link between movie-going and this universally loved snack. The video illustrates how watching a film in a theatre is absolutely incomplete without digging into a bag of delicious popcorn.
Conceptualized by Cinépolis Global Team, the film light-heartedly turns the spotlight on several people who walk into the cinema resisting the urge to buy the snack. These very movie-goers end up indulging whole-heartedly in their companion’s bag of popcorn when they are immersed in their films. The video sums up this trend by saying, 60% people buy popcorn at Cinépolis. 100% eat!
A tribute to the light, fluffy, flavoured favourite of cine-lovers, the video is backed by a study of popcorn consumption patterns in India which suggests that the money spent on this snack has almost doubled between 2012 and 2015 and currently stands at Rs 2,034 crore. The most loved flavours in the country are butter salted, caramel and cheese. The combination of a cold beverage and popcorn stands out as the most preferred snack inside cinema halls which comes as no surprise. After all, the identities of popcorn and movie watching are inherently tied together and Cinépolis has been fuelling this relationship with the superlative popcorn it serves at its cinema screens across the globe!
Hollywood
WBD sets April 23 vote on $110bn Paramount Skydance merger
Investor approval key step, but regulators loom over mega media deal
NEW YORK: Warner Bros. Discovery has set April 23 as the date for shareholders to vote on its proposed $110 billion merger with Paramount Skydance, marking a crucial step in one of the biggest media deals in recent years.
The all-cash transaction offers WBD shareholders $31 per share, a hefty 147 per cent premium to its unaffected stock price, signalling strong intent to push the deal across the finish line. The company’s board has unanimously backed the merger and is urging investors to vote in favour.
Even if shareholders give the green light, the deal is far from done. Regulators in the United States and Europe are expected to scrutinise the merger closely, weighing concerns around competition and potential price impacts for consumers.
To keep investors on side, WBD has built in a safety net. If the deal is not completed by September 30, shareholders will receive a quarterly “ticking fee” of $0.25 per share until closure.
The proposed merger would significantly reshape the media landscape, combining the assets of Warner Bros. Discovery with those linked to Paramount Global and Skydance Media. It would also cement the growing influence of David Ellison, who has been steering Skydance’s aggressive expansion strategy.
“The WBD Board has been guided by the singular principle of securing a transaction that maximises the value of our iconic assets and delivers as much certainty as possible to our shareholders,” said Warner Bros. Discovery board chair Samuel A. Di Piazza Jr.. “This historic transaction will expand consumer choice and create new opportunities for creative talent.”
Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive officer David Zaslav added that the company is working closely with its counterpart to close the deal and unlock value for stakeholders.
With investor backing likely but regulatory hurdles ahead, the proposed merger is shaping up to be a defining moment for the global entertainment industry, where scale, content and competition are increasingly intertwined.
