A BROAD OUTLOOK
In spite of robust competition in the cinema landscape, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One has earned $493 million globally. The movie’s achievement, however, is marred by its enormous budget, nearly $300 million, crowning it as the priciest entry in the series. There still remains a possibility for the film to reach a break-even point and attain the $600 million landmark.
Devotees of the Mission: Impossible series continue to question why Paramount and Tom Cruise chose not to reschedule the release of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, despite the imminent arrival of “Barbenheimer”. The film lost its premium large-format screens to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, which was anticipated to have one of the biggest openings of the year, thus positioning it against formidable competition. The reasons for this move are uncertain – perhaps due to confidence stemming from excellent reviews or an assumption that the film would withstand the strong competition and regain its footing. Despite the bustling box office scenario, Dead Reckoning Part One has successfully garnered $493 million worldwide.
Over its fourth weekend, the film added slightly over $6 million to its domestic revenue, pushing its cumulative total beyond $151 million. In overseas markets, the seventh Mission: Impossible installment has raked in $342 million. Even as it nears the $500 million worldwide mark, it’s worth mentioning that this is merely a third of what Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick earned globally the previous year. The high hopes for Dead Reckoning Part One were largely driven by Maverick’s success and the decision to highlight Cruise’s latest high-risk stunt in the promotions.
Dead Reckoning Part One has now surpassed Mission: Impossible III’s $399 million global gross, as well as the original Mission: Impossible’s $457 million worldwide earning from 1996. However, with inflation adjustment, the inaugural film still outranks Dead Reckoning Part One. That said, the seventh Mission: Impossible remains considerably behind the franchise’s more recent successes. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation earned $688 million worldwide, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol brought in $694 million globally, and Mission: Impossible – Fallout remains the highest-grossing film of the series with $791 million worldwide. Currently, Dead Reckoning Part One stands as the eighth most significant Hollywood film of the year in global box office, leading John Wick: Chapter 4 and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
How Does it Compare to Other Hits from the Franchise?
Image via Paramount Pictures
The film’s relatively disappointing performance is also shadowed by the fact that it is the franchise’s costliest installment. Issues related to the pandemic drove the film’s budget close to $300 million — compared to Fallout, which cost roughly $180 million — meaning Dead Reckoning Part One must accumulate at least $600 million globally to cover its costs. Given the typical performance trajectory of Cruise’s films — starting moderately but displaying strong endurance — there remains a slim yet existing chance that the movie will hit this milestone in the forthcoming days.
If it fails to do so, the onus will rest on the upcoming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two to offset the loss. It’s still uncertain if Part Two will mark the end of Cruise’s tenure as Ethan Hunt, spanning almost three decades, but by then the actor will be 62 years old. Shooting of certain portions of the film, currently on pause due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, are yet to be completed. All main cast members, including Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Esai Morales, Vanessa Kirby, and Hayley Atwell, are anticipated to reprise their roles in the direct sequel.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is currently screening in theaters. You can catch our interview with director Christopher McQuarrie here, and stay connected with FilmSweep for more updates.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Box Office Performance
What is the global earning of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ so far?
The movie ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ has grossed $493 million worldwide.
Despite the impressive earnings, why is ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ not considered a massive success?
The film’s performance is overshadowed by its high budget of nearly $300 million, making it the most expensive installment in the franchise. To break even, it needs to gross at least $600 million globally.
How does ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ compare to other movies in the franchise in terms of box office earnings?
The movie has overtaken the global haul of ‘Mission: Impossible III’ and the first ‘Mission: Impossible’, but still trails behind more recent hits like ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’, ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’, and ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’.
What was the impact of competing movies on the earnings of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’?
The release of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ and Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’, both of which had large debuts, created stiff competition for ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ and affected its box office performance.
Is there a sequel to ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ planned?
Yes, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two’ is planned for release in the next year, and it will be expected to compensate if Part One fails to reach the $600 million break-even milestone.
