Famous Players

Evolution of Paramount Skydance
1886	Westinghouse Electric Corporation is founded as Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company
1912	Famous Players Film Company is founded
1913	Lasky Feature Play Company is founded
1914	Paramount Pictures is founded
1916	Famous Players and Lasky merge as Famous Players–Lasky and acquire Paramount
1927	Famous Players–Lasky is renamed Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation; CBS is founded with investment from Columbia Records
1929	Paramount acquires 49% of CBS
1930	Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation is renamed Paramount Publix Corporation
1932	Paramount sells back its shares of CBS
1934	Gulf+Western is founded as the Michigan Bumper Corporation
1935	Paramount Publix Corporation is renamed Paramount Pictures
1936	National Amusements is founded as Northeast Theater Corporation
1938	CBS acquires Columbia Records
1950	Desilu is founded and CBS distributes its television programs
1952	CBS creates the CBS Television Film Sales division
1958	CBS Television Film Sales is renamed CBS Films
1966	Gulf+Western acquires Paramount
1967	Gulf+Western acquires Desilu and renames it Paramount Television (now CBS Studios)
1968	CBS Films is renamed CBS Enterprises
1970	CBS Enterprises is renamed Viacom
1971	Viacom is spun off from CBS
1987	National Amusements acquires Viacom
1988	CBS sells Columbia Records to Sony
1989	Gulf+Western is renamed Paramount Communications
1994	Viacom acquires Paramount Communications
1995	Paramount Television and United Television launch UPN; Westinghouse acquires CBS
1997	Westinghouse is renamed CBS Corporation
2000	Viacom acquires UPN and CBS Corporation
2005	Viacom splits into the second CBS Corporation and Viacom
2006	Skydance Media is founded as Skydance Productions; CBS Corporation shuts down UPN and replaces it with The CW
2009	Paramount and Skydance enter an agreement to co-produce and co-finance films
2017	CBS Corporation sells CBS Radio to Entercom (now Audacy)
2019	CBS Corporation and Viacom re-merge as ViacomCBS
2022	ViacomCBS is renamed Paramount Global
2025	Skydance acquires National Amusements and merges with Paramount Global as Paramount Skydance
2026	Paramount Skydance enters into a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery

Famous Players Limited Partnership
Formerly	Famous Players Canadian Corporation; Famous Players Ltd.; Famous Players Inc.
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Film exhibitor; Bowling alleys; Cable television;
Predecessors	Famous Players Film Company
Founded	January 23, 1920
Founder	Nathan Nathanson; (founder of earliest ancestor circuit)
Defunct	2005 (Sold to Cineplex Galaxy)
Fate	Most theatres sold to Cineplex Galaxy LP; Cable operations sold to Rogers Cablesystems;
Successors	National Film Board of Canada (continuous Canadian public movie producer and distributor); Cineplex Entertainment (Canadian theatre operator); Minds Eye Entertainment; TVA Films; Paramount Pictures (American film name operator in 1912);
Headquarters	146 Bloor Street West; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; M5S 1P3
Number of locations	101 (2003) 882 screens; ; 47 (2026);
Area served	Canada
Key people	John Bailey, president & CEO
Number of employees	7,400 (2003)
Parent	Gulf+Western Canada (1971–1989); Paramount Communications (1989–1994); National Amusements (Viacom) (1994–2005); Cineplex Entertainment (2005–present)
Divisions	Coliseum; SilverCity; Famous Players; Colossus; Paramount Theatre;
Subsidiaries	Famous Players Media; Famous Players Development Corporation
Website	cineplex.com

Famous Players Limited Partnership was a Canadian-based subsidiary of Cineplex Entertainment. As an independent company, it existed as a film exhibitor and cable television service provider. Famous Players operated numerous movie theatre locations in Canada from British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador. Founded in 1920, this company was owned by Viacom Canada but was sold to Cineplex Galaxy LP (now Cineplex Entertainment) in 2005.

The Famous Players brand name and its sub-banners continued to be used in the majority of its theatres until 2022 when Cineplex phased out the name in favour of the "Cineplex Cinemas" banner, although the SilverCity name continues to be used. Prior to its retirement, Famous Players operated its theatres under its traditional namesake, SilverCity, Paramount, Coliseum, and Colossus brands.