Paramount Pictures and Legendary Entertainment have finalized a new multi-year worldwide film distribution deal, which will kick off with the upcoming “Street Fighter” movie, now dated for next fall.
Under the three-year deal, Paramount will market and distribute Legendary-developed and produced theatrical films globally. (The pact excludes China, where Legendary East handles all marketing and distribution activities.) News of the talks broke last month as Paramount embarked on a dealmaking spree after closing its $8 billion merger with Skydance, while Legendary relished recent box office wins, including “Dune: Part Two” and this year’s blockbuster hit “A Minecraft Movie.”
“Legendary has built a reputation for ambitious, globally appealing films, and we’re excited to be partnering with them. ‘Street Fighter’ is the perfect start to our collaboration, which we believe will be strong and lasting,” said Josh Greenstein, co-chair of Paramount Pictures and vice chair of platforms, and Dana Goldberg, co-chair of Paramount Pictures and chair of Paramount Television, in a joint statement announcing the deal.
“Partnering with David, Dana and Josh and their teams at Paramount marks an exciting new chapter for Legendary as we continue to pursue a diversified growth strategy — expanding our output, building new franchises, and creating more films for global audiences,” added Legendary CEO Josh Grode. “This partnership is an extraordinary opportunity, and we look forward to working closely with Paramount on stories that will captivate and inspire moviegoers worldwide.”
Outside of the new pact, Warner Bros. will continue to distribute select Legendary franchises, including “Dune: Part Three,” which is currently in production and slated for release in 2026, as well as 2027’s “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova,” among others.
As noted, the first film within the Paramount-Legendary pact will be “Street Fighter,” which Legendary co-produced with Japanese video game developer Capcom. The live-action film, based on the hugely popular and successful video game franchise, is currently in production and boasts a starry ensemble cast including Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Jason Momoa. The project was originally set to be released under Legendary’s distribution deal with Sony Pictures, which expired in 2024.
Helmed by director Kitao Sakurai and filmed for Imax, “Street Fighter” will be released in theaters on Oct. 16, 2026. The movie is set in 1993 and, as the official synopsis explains, follows as “estranged Street Fighters Ryu (Koji) and Ken Masters (Centineo) are thrown back into combat when the mysterious Chun-Li (Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament: a brutal clash of fists, fate, and fury. But behind this battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons of their past. And if they don’t, it’s game over!”
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From Variety US