Tom Cruise Ditches Paramount for Warner — What It All Means | Analysis

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While a big win for WBD, for Paramount it means the loss of its most bankable star when the studio is ripe for acquisition

Tom Cruise, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and Paramount non-executive chair Shari Redstone (TheWrap/Chris Smith)

Tom Cruise made a decision on Tuesday that was more death-defying than hanging onto the side of an airplane or riding his motorcycle into a ravine: To decamp from his home of 31 years, Paramount, for Warner Bros. 

The move sent Hollywood reeling.  The mega-star has been associated with Paramount since 1992, when his production company Cruise/Wagner made a production deal that led to the first “Mission: Impossible” movie release in 1996. Though the formal deal is long ended, Cruise’s decision was enough to send shockwaves through the industry. 

What are the implications for valuable movie franchises like “Mission: Impossible” and “Top Gun”? What Warner franchises might interest the still-popular action star? And how will it impact Paramount’s merger discussions with Warner Bros Discovery?

The move could mean the loss of Hollywood’s single most bankable movie star at a studio that’s on the bubble for acquisition.

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