Courtenay Valenti, head of film, streaming and theatrical at Amazon MGM Studios, said it will likely release12-14 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 16 film 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.
Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, and Valenti, said at a Q&A moderated by MPA Chairman-CEO Charlie Rivkin, that not every film works best in theaters or needs to be there, but acknowledged that 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.
The commitment to theatrical is real, significant and beyond exciting,” Salke said. “I spent 30-plus years at Warner 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.”
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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 any 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’s it like working for data-driven, global and customer-obsessed Amazon, they insisted that creative hunches are allowed and encouraged, as long as they get 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. 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 ot 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.”
On runaway production, Salke said Amazon MGM shoots plenty in the U.S. but tends to go abroad to find savings for the 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.”
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The post Amazon MGM Will Release 12-14 Films Theatrically In 2026 As Studio Commits “Financially And Philosophically” To The Big Screen – SXSW appeared first on Deadline.
