US film studio Paramount cuts 5 per cent of staff

LOS ANGELES - US film giant Paramount is to cut 110 employees, or about five per cent of its staff, according to an internal memo published Tuesday.

The cuts will be made across the Viacom subsidiary, including in the finance, human resources, technical, legal and marketing departments, said Paramount chief operating officer Frederick Huntsberry.

"Change is always difficult, and we never take these steps lightly," he wrote in the memo cited by entertainment news website The Wrap.

"We are confident that these changes will allow us to manage our business with greater speed and flexibility and fully capitalise on opportunities in the global entertainment market."

Paramount has released five new films this year, including "Star Trek Into Darkness" and "World War Z" starring Brad Pitt, which was beset with production troubles, although ultimately did well at the box office.