The layoffs will reduce the operation’s headcount by about 10%, specifically across the marketing, production strategy, operations and theatre ventures divisions, according to sources for The Hollywood Reporter. The group currently has under 1,000 employees.
De Luca and Adby had a tough start to 2025 after films like Mickey 17 and The Alto Knights underperformed at the box office. While recent successes like Superman, Sinners, and A Minecraft Movie have begun to turn things around for the studio, the chairmen wrote in their memo that the earlier investigation “led to important conversations and insights to better understand how we reach audiences, what fundamental shifts should be implemented as teams work together across the world to collectively engage today’s moviegoers, and what the division needs to be successful.”
“Adapting how we work often calls for evolution, and the future of how we run this business has required us to make some very difficult decisions, including staffing adjustments that will impact members of the Motion Picture Group,” the memo continued, before De Luca and Adby thanked “our departing team members whose contributions throughout their time at Warner Bros. Pictures has made a lasting impact on both of us, and so many of you. They each have a lot to be proud of.”
WBD announced earlier this week that when its split is completed (expected by mid-2026), the Motion Picture Group will be folded into a new company simply called Warner Bros. In a statement, CEO David Zaslav wrote, “With our unmatched portfolio of storytelling IP coupled with our incredible creative partners, and now an executive team of proven, bold and committed creative and corporate leaders, we are in a strong position to launch and continue to meaningfully grow a company worthy of our storied past.” One can’t help but wonder how strong the company’s position really is if it can’t accomplish this growth without cutting a few dozen employees loose first.
