Cruise/Wagner Productions
Cruise/Wagner Productions, also abbreviated as C/W Productions, was an American independent film production company. It was founded by actor Tom Cruise and his agent Paula Wagner in July 1992.[1][2][3] Wagner had been representing Cruise for eleven years before the formation of C/W Productions.[2][3] The company has grossed more than $2.9 billion in box office proceeds since its inception.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
| Industry | Film |
|---|---|
| Founded | July 1992 |
| Founder | Tom Cruise Paula Wagner |
| Defunct | August 2008 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Owner | Tom Cruise Paula Wagner |
Cruise/Wagner Productions was formed to give Cruise more creative freedom over his film projects and to give him the opportunity to produce and direct motion pictures.[3] In October 1992, Cruise/Wagner Productions signed an exclusive three-year multi-picture financing and distribution deal with Paramount Pictures.[10][11] The deal was renewed and expanded several times over the next fourteen years. In August 2006 Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom (parent company of Paramount Pictures) terminated that relationship citing Cruise's comments in the media about psychiatry, anti-depressants and Brooke Shields' handling of postpartum depression, and his taking up Scientology.[5][6][7][8][9][12] However, the termination may have been more about money than anything else.[9][13][14] Within a week, Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins and two hedge funds, secured financial backing to buy the company.[7][12][15][16]
In November 2006, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer came to Cruise/Wagner with a deal that gave them a percentage of the ownership in United Artists in an effort to revive the floundering production company.[4][9] This deal fell apart when Wagner left the studio in August 2008.[17][18][19][20]
Productions
Feature Films
| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Budget | Box office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Mission: Impossible | Brian De Palma | Paramount Pictures | $80 million | $457.7 million | Installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise. |
| 1998 | Without Limits | Robert Towne | Warner Bros. | $25 million | $777,423 | |
| 2000 | Mission: Impossible 2 | John Woo | Paramount Pictures | $125 million | $546.4 million | Installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise. |
| 2001 | The Others | Alejandro Amenábar | StudioCanal | $17 million | $209.9 million | |
| Vanilla Sky | Cameron Crowe | Paramount Pictures | $68 million | $203.4 million | Remake of Open Your Eyes. | |
| 2002 | Narc | Joe Carnahan | $6.5 million | $12.6 million | ||
| Minority Report | Steven Spielberg | 20th Century Fox | $102 million | $358.4 million | ||
| 2003 | Shattered Glass | Billy Ray | Lionsgate Films | $6 million | $2.9 million | |
| The Last Samurai | Edward Zwick | Warner Bros. | $140 million | $456.8 million | ||
| 2004 | Suspect Zero | E. Elias Merhige | Paramount Pictures | $27 million | $11.4 million | |
| 2005 | War of the Worlds | Steven Spielberg | $132 million | $603.9 million | Remake of The War of the Worlds. | |
| Elizabethtown | Cameron Crowe | $45 million | $52 million | |||
| 2006 | Ask the Dust | Robert Towne | — | $2.5 million | ||
| Mission: Impossible III | J. J. Abrams | $150 million | $398.5 million | Installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise. | ||
| 2007 | Lions for Lambs | Robert Redford | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (United States) 20th Century Fox (International) | $35 million | $63.2 million | |
| 2008 | The Eye | David Moreau and Xavier Palud | Paramount Pictures Lionsgate Films | $12 million | $56.7 million | Remake of The Eye. |
| Death Race | Paul W. S. Anderson | Universal Pictures | $45–65 million | $76 million | Installment of the Death Race franchise. | |
| Valkyrie | Bryan Singer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (United States) 20th Century Fox (International) | $75–90 million | $201.5 million |
References
- ^ "Cruise makes a picture deal". NewspaperARCHIVE.com. Lima News. November 4, 1992. p. A4.
- ^ a b "The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California on July 13, 1992 · Page 152". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
- ^ a b c "Tom Cruise forms his own film company". Evening Standard. Newspapers.com. July 14, 1992. p. 12. ISSN 2041-4404. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
Scroll down to 'Show 12 article text'
- ^ a b . Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. PR Newswire. 2 November 2006. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008.
- ^ a b Paramount: Cruise is risky business - CNN-Money Magazine with Reuters (c/o CNNMoney.com) - 23 August 2006
- ^ a b Atkins, Jill. "Sumner Redstone Rebuke of Tom Cruise: Now What? 2007-11-18 at the Wayback Machine - National Ledger - 24 August 2006
- ^ a b c Lieberman, David and Laura Petrecca. "Cruise seeks financial backing from hedge funds" - USA Today - 24 August 2006
- ^ a b Epstein, Edward Jay. The Financial Times: Paramount vs. Cruise: all down the killer cut - Financial Times - 24 August 2006
- ^ a b c d Clark, John. "The business of Cruise control" - New York Daily News - 23 August 2007
- ^ "Evening Standard from London, Greater London, England on October 29, 1992 · 19". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
- ^ "The Index-Journal from Greenwood, South Carolina on November 4, 1992 · Page 10". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
- ^ a b Gardner, Chris. "It's a war of the words" - Variety - August 22, 2006
- ^ Kimball, Trevor. "Paramount Gives Tom Cruise the Boot" 2008-01-10 at the Wayback Machine - AnActorsJourney.com - 23 August 2006
- ^ Sperling, Nicole. "Biz eyeing economics of Cruise-Par breakup: DVD slowdown forcing restraint" 2009-01-13 at the Wayback Machine - The Hollywood Reporter - 24 August 2006
- ^ Olson, Parmy. "Redskins' Snyder Gambles On Tom Cruise" - Forbes magazine - 29 August 2006
- ^ Fischer, Martha. "Cruise, Wagner Fight Back" - Cinematical - 23 August 2006
- ^ Finke, Nikki. "Tom Cruise's Movie Studio Imploding: Paula Wagner Is DOA At United Artists; But Was It Suicide or Murder By MGM? - Deadline Hollywood - 13 August 2008
- ^ Flemming, Michael. "Paula Wagner leaves UA - Variety (magazine) - 13 August 2008
- ^ Tom Cruise Splits From Long Time Partner (Sydney Morning Herald newspaper)
- ^ Cruise loses studio partner (The Guardian newspaper)
External links
- United Artists Official Website