Independent US Exhibition in the Twilight of the Paramount Decrees, 2008–2019

In 2018, the Department of Justice invited public comments on whether the Paramount Decrees were still necessary in an age of digital distribution. Independent theaters across the United States replied, resoundingly, yes. This article details their response and the financial circumstances that led to it, alongside industry data and substantiating evidence from trade reporting and legal and economic analysis. It presents a grim snapshot of a US exhibition sector reeling from a lack of competition in distribution a decade prior to pandemic-era closures and the rise of streaming. Movie theaters were in crisis, facing systemic pressures years in the making.