Warner Bros. Worth in 2025: Why Is Paramount Aiming to Buy WB?

Paramount Skydance is reportedly aiming to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, according to The Wall Street Journal. According to the report, Paramount seeks to buy out the entire WBD business, including their film studio, television networks, including HBO, and news network, including CNN.

A few weeks earlier, David Ellison’s Skydance purchased Paramount for a reported $8 billion merger deal. Meanwhile, WBD was formed in 2022 after the merger of telecom giant AT&T-owned Warner Media and Discovery, Inc. AT&T purchased Warner Bros., HBO, and CNN from Time Warner for $108.7 billion in 2018 (via BBC).

Paramount is reportedly “preparing a majority cash bid” for WBD. Earlier this year, WBD shared that it had plans to split the business into different verticals (via BBC). They wanted to separate their streaming brands from their cable television business.

Following the news about the possible acquisition, the share prices of both WBD and Paramount Skydance have surged. WBD shares are closed up 29% on Thursday, while Paramount’s numbers stand at 16%. WBD’s net worth (aka market cap) is reported to be $30.35 billion.

What Does This Possible Acquisition Mean for Warner Bros. and Paramount?

Warner Bros. currently holds a variety of assets, including Warner Bros. studios, DC Studios, HBO, the streaming service HBO Max, Discovery Channel, CNN, and Cartoon Network. Paramount could merge some of these assets under its umbrella if the deal goes through.

Paramount Skydance currently holds assets, including Paramount+, CBS, Pluto TV, Nickelodeon Productions, BET Media Group, Showtime, Comedy Central, and the Paramount Network.

While WBD owns lucrative projects like Harry Potter, DCU, and other IP projects, Paramount Pictures is home to projects like Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Transformers, Sonic the Hedgehog, Top Gun, Smile, Scream, and A Quiet Place.

The possible merger would likely put them on equal footing with The Walt Disney Company. Disney also holds multiple assets that operate independently, including Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, 20th Century Studios, Pixar, ABC, Hulu, Disney+, and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Warner Bros.’ Amazing Slate This Year Makes This Deal Look Attractive

Warner Bros. is on a roll after their latest theatrical outing, The Conjuring: Last Rites, opened at $83 million at the domestic box office. WB has set a rare record after the latest Conjuring franchise film’s $187 million opening weekend collection. It is the seventh consecutive release from the studio to open above $40 million at the box office.

The consistency with which WB films are performing at the box office currently has put them on top of others like Disney and Universal. Interestingly, the studio didn’t have a strong start to this year, as the films Mickey 17 and The Alto Knights together put the studio in a $110 million loss.

This is a dream bounce-back for WB, with analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research telling Variety, “Warner Bros. is having a fantastic run. The studio made outstanding choices and took some big creative risks, and they’re paying off.”

The six successful films preceding The Conjuring: Last Rites include Ryan Coogler’s alternate-history vampire thriller, Sinners, and the new DCU kickstarter, Superman. We also have the surprise addition of Julia Garner’s latest flick, Weapons, in this list.

Here are the last seven entries from Warner Bros.:

According to Variety, Sinners generated around $60 million in theatrical profits for WB. Similarly, Superman‘s profit was around $125 million, Final Destination Bloodlines around $75 million, Weapons around $65 million, and F1 around $34 million.

What do you think of this possible deal between WB and Paramount? Let us know in the comments below!