Bottom Of The Barrel

Tom Cruise - Fired or Quit?

Tom Cruise's production company Cruise/Wagner Productions, owned with partner Paula Wagner, is no longer going to be financed by Paramount Pictures. Chairman Summer Redstone of Viacom, Inc., which company owns Paramount Pictures, stated that they would sever its relationship with Cruise/Wagner Productions, because of Cruise's "recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount." Note: Cruise/Wagner Productions has been based on the Paramount lot since 1992 and Wagner said the collaboration has produced $2.5 billion worth of business. In the aftermath of Redstone's public statements of the end of the relationship, Wagner has since they stopped negotiating with Paramount more than a week ago, and the company has since secured independent financing. So were they fired or was it you-can't-fire-me-because-I-quit?

It seems that both sides want to appear as the one who walked away from a 14-year/2.5 billion dollar relationship and maybe Redstone doesn't like Cruise's personal behavior but it may come down more to money than anything.

Mission: Impossible III grossed $133 million dollars which is nearly $100 million less that MI 2 and $50 million less than the original MI. Since the release of MI 2, Tom has starred in 6 movies and only 1, War of the Worlds, was able to generate more money than MI 2 - $234 million. Also since 1992, there have been a couple movies, such as Magnolia and Eyes Wide Shut, which have been critically acclaimed but did not generate much revenue.

So in the end, it will be a he said-she said thing but maybe, just maybe, Viacom does not believe Tom's big money making days are ahead of him and has perhaps jumped on the couch once too often.

posted by TheWino @ 8:29 PM