Amazon MGM Will Release 12-14 Films Theatrically In 2026 As Studio Commits “Financially And Philosophically” To The Big Screen
March 8, 2025
Courtenay Valenti, head of film, streaming and theatrical at Amazon MGM Studios, said Friday at SXSW that the company will likely release 12 to 14 films in theaters next year as it ramps up its commitment to the big screen both “financially and philosophically.”
The studio is building out its own international distribution and marketing arm as it leans into maybe 16 films a year in 2027 – although not everything is dated – in a move that’s been hailed by exhibitors on a recent round of earnings calls. AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron did take issue with shorter windows in the industry.
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Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, and Valenti said at a Q&A today moderated by MPA chairman and CEO Charlie Rivkin that not every film works best in theaters or needs to be there, but acknowledged a theatrical release generally does give a bump to a film when it hits streaming, from Air to The Beekeeper to Red One. Amazon MGM, by the way, is the MPA’s newest member.
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The commitment to theatrical is “real, significant and beyond exciting,” Salke said. The studio’s marketing chief “Sue Kroll and I spent 30-plus years at Warner [Bros.] and we’re deeply, deeply committed to theatrical personally. So it’s so exciting to be at a company … knowing that this company is committed to theatrical.”
They talked about their three SXSW-premiering films (Paul Feig’s Another Simple Favor, The Accountant 2 and Holland starring Nicole Kidman) and about how they’ve approached mining MGM content (carefully). Rivkin did not ask for and they did not offer thoughts on the seminal James Bond, which is now fully under Amazon’s wing after producer Barbara Broccoli ceded creative control of the franchise. Deadline hears there may still be some legal restrictions on Bond talk as of yet.
Asked what it’s like working for data-driven, global and customer-obsessed Amazon, they insisted that creative hunches are allowed and encouraged, as long as they get it mostly right.
“What’s so exciting about being at Amazon MGM is this wonderful legacy of entertainment people, [alongside] with the power and the innovation and the boldness of Amazon. So you get this one plus one equals five,” Valenti said. “We do take into account data and research with every decision we make, but then, in the end, why we have jobs, is that we are supposed to be bringing our own gut instinct and creative conviction … that might not fit with data or research.”
Bold decisions are what makes real breakouts – like Saltburn, for instance, which could not have been predicted by data and research, she said.
“Creative conviction rules the day,” agreed Salke. “But you have to be right a lot. You can be wrong sometimes. I guess we’ll be there as long as the gut leads us mostly in the right direction.”
She said live sports are booming for Prime Video. Sports and big-ticket films drive the most streaming viewership and the company is always on the prowl for more rights, including in local markets. That said, the largely female leadership team at the studio is putting out more female-centric films and series to reach beyond “dudes” and “the Jacks” — Ryan and Reacher.
On runaway production, Salke said Amazon MGM shoots plenty in the U.S. from Los Angeles to New York and Georgia but like most studios tends to go abroad to find savings for its biggest-budget projects. “There is more and more pressure on the biggest, most expensive things to find the most economically responsible place to shoot,” she said. “We want to be here … There should be more in Los Angeles.”
Creatives and politicians in California are pushing for just that. New York is set to boost its production tax incentives as well.
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