8 FALL 2026
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Everywhere All at Once), and Neon
(Parasite, I, Tonya) have proven
that audiences still hunger for new,
often genre-defying cinema. The
mega consolidations of the Big Five
eating each other leaves an original
film vacuum that these independent
distributors are only eager to fill. One
day, when they grow their libraries
large enough, there will certainly be
an offer from the future Big Four
to purchase or merge with them,
beginning this cycle anew. But even
after that, another new independent
distributor will rise, continuing to
produce original content. After all,
Disney was once the independent
upstart before it rose into the then Big
Six. Creativity and the drive to make
movies simply cannot be stopped. So
the real question is, once Paramount
and Warner Bros. merge, who will be
next? Will four become three, or will
four expand once more to five?
