Tom Cruise and George Clooney Hold Divergent Views on Paramount-Warner 152 Trillion Won Merger

Regarding the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, valued at $111 billion (approximately 152 trillion won)—the largest in Hollywood history—top stars Tom Cruise and George Clooney have revealed polar opposite views. Appearing on a broadcast on September 2, Tom Cruise evaluated this merger positively and showed strong confidence in the plan promised by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison to produce 30 films every year for the next three years.

On the other hand, George Clooney expressed concern and questioned the financial viability of this merger at the Venice International Film Festival on the same day. He took a critical stance, pointing out that the combination of large corporations could ultimately lead to large-scale workforce reductions. Furthermore, Clooney clearly expressed his support for actor Mark Ruffalo, defending his freedom of expression after Ruffalo became embroiled in an anti-Semitism controversy for criticizing the merger.

Currently, the merger is facing a federal trial on March 2 of next year due to an antitrust lawsuit filed by attorneys general from 12 states. It is evaluated as a very unusual occurrence for two representative actors of Hollywood to publicly voice conflicting opinions on an industry issue.

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