Brian Robbins on release strategy
From Audiences want "big spectacle" from movies today, says Paramount Pictures CEO · · CNBC Television
“We did make 'Smile' for streaming and then we looked at the film and said the filmmaking here is spectacular — let's test this movie like we would a normal theatrical movie — and we discovered that audiences went crazy for it. Then the secret sauce was unlocking our amazing world-class marketing and distribution operations, who came up with an incredible viral digital campaign that really put that movie in the zeitgeist.”
On , Brian Robbins, Co-Chief Executive Officer at Paramount Global, spoke about release strategy during Audiences want "big spectacle" from movies today, says Paramount Pictures CEO on CNBC Television.
About Brian Robbins
Brian Robbins, Co-Chief Executive Officer at Paramount Global, has spoken about the company's film and streaming strategy in several interviews. In November 2023, he told CNBC that audiences want "big spectacle" from movies and that Paramount had its best year in over a decade, citing *Top Gun: Maverick* as a leader. He discussed the film *Smile*, which was originally made for streaming but was released theatrically after testing well, and noted that the box office is off about 30% since 2019, though he attributed this partly to having 30 fewer releases that year. Robbins stated that streaming has "unlocked more value" for the company and that successful theatrical films drive audiences to Paramount Plus. In earlier appearances, Robbins discussed the success of *Sonic the Hedgehog 2*, which he called Paramount's biggest opening weekend since 2014, and the day-and-date release of the *Paw Patrol* movie during the pandemic. At a 2023 handprint ceremony for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Robbins praised the franchise's longevity and the film *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem*, which he described as the best reviewed animated film of the year. He has also spoken about leveraging franchises like SpongeBob and Paw Patrol for streaming and consumer products, and previously discussed the economics of YouTube content and the shift of ad dollars to digital platforms.