Shari Redstone strolled onto the red carpet in New York City tonight for the premiere of Paramount Pictures IF, John Krasinski’ star-studded PG adventure that opens this weekend. She was there to support studio chief Brian Robbins.
As of April, the executive (who also oversees Nickelodeon) is also one of three members of a new Office of the CEO. The premiere hits as Redstone, Paramount Global’s controlling shareholder and non-executive board chair, is in the midst of trying to sell the company but finding a deal complicated. She did no interviews outside the SVA Theatre in Chelsea, but chatted and stood for photographs with Robbins, Krasinski (who also stars) and talent from Ryan Reynolds to Matt Damon.
Redstone also attended the world premiere of Top Gun: Maverick two years agoi in May of 2022 aboard the USS Midway in San Diego.
A special committee of Paramount’s board talked exclusively for one month with David Ellison’s Skydance, emerging with an offer but no deal, and had turned to consider another bid by Sony and Apollo. Both combinations are complicated, for different reasons, and it’s possible neither will fly. Meanwhile, the trio of CEOs (with CBS chief George Cheeks and Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks) work well together but it’s an unusual setup and may not be sustainable longer term. The three replaced former CEO Bob Bakish.
IF, according to Deadline, is eyeing $40M-plus opening, strong for an original story, and for a non-holiday in May.
The film stars Cailey Fleming as a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends and embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids. Fiona Shaw also stars. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr., Steve Carell, Amy Schumer and many others voice the unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child’s imagination.
Introducing the film, Krasinski (A Quiet Place franchise, also at Par) called IF “by far the most personal movie I have made or will ever make,” saying, “I made it for my kids. I made it about hope. I made it about dreams. I made it about that decision you make where you go, I have to give up childhood and become an adult and go into real life, right? And this movie is all about no, you don’t have to. You can do both.”
Thanking the extensive cast he said, “You know you have good friends when thet say yes before you’ve even finished the pitch.”
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