THE OVERALL VIEW
Despite facing hurdles at the box office, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, appreciated by critics, has achieved the global revenue milestone of $450 million. The movie made a significant impact in markets such as China, South Korea, the U.K., and France, although the pandemic hampered its performance in China. The film is set to exceed the initial Mission: Impossible’s overall global earnings but is anticipated to fall short of the more recent franchise’s achievements. However, expectations are high for Dead Reckoning Part Two to offset the previous installment’s lukewarm reception.
Paramount and the star-producer, Tom Cruise, may be reconsidering their decision to stick with the release date of Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, given the impact of the “Barbenheimer” effect. Released barely over a week before Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, two films which accounted for one of the most successful combined box office openings ever, Dead Reckoning Part One has struggled to bounce back.
Nevertheless, despite its tepid box office performance, the film reached another impressive achievement on Wednesday. After three weeks in cinemas, the movie’s global revenue surpassed the $450 million threshold. The film has garnered a modest $142 million in the U.S. and an additional $309 million internationally, accumulating a total global profit of $451 million. Its major international markets include China ($42 million), South Korea ($24 million), the U.K. ($22 million), and France ($14 million). In comparison, Mission: Impossible — Fallout made $181 million in China, but the pandemic has disrupted the performance of Hollywood movies in this region.
Fallout still holds the record as the highest-grossing film in the enduring Mission: Impossible series, with worldwide earnings of $791 million. Following this, Cruise starred in his most successful film yet, Top Gun: Maverick, which ended its global run with nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, and over $700 million domestically. Consequently, anticipation for Dead Reckoning Part One was immense. Despite receiving outstanding reviews, the puzzling release strategy might be a topic of analysis for years to come.
Image via Paramount Pictures
The film had a lackluster opening of $78 million during its extended five-day opening weekend at the domestic box office — typical for Cruise’s movies, known for their longevity — and saw a significant drop of 65% in its second weekend. In contrast, Barbie and Oppenheimer dominated the competition and monopolized cinema screens. The production of Dead Reckoning Part One, famously challenging due to the pandemic, inflated the budget to almost $300 million. As per the industry rule of thumb, a movie of this magnitude needs to earn double its production budget to break even, implying that Dead Reckoning Part One still has a long way to go before it can be considered a success.
How Does the Film Rank in the Franchise Hierarchy?
Soon to surpass the original Mission: Impossible’s lifetime global earnings of $457 million — which, adjusted for inflation, would be significantly larger — Dead Reckoning Part One is unlikely to emulate the achievements of the more recent films in the franchise. For context, Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol grossed $694 million globally, and Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation earned $688 million worldwide. Even Mission: Impossible 2, released in 2000, made $550 million worldwide. However, Dead Reckoning Part One has managed to avoid being labeled as the lowest-earning film in the franchise, a title unfortunately held by the well-received Mission: Impossible III ($399 million worldwide).
All parties involved are optimistic that next year’s direct sequel, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Two, will compensate for the previous disappointment. For more updates, tune in to FilmSweep, and you can watch our interview with director Christopher McQuarrie here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ Box Office Performance
How much has ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ made at the global box office?
As of three weeks after its release, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ has made $451 million globally, with $142 million domestically and $309 million internationally.
Which were the film’s biggest international markets?
The movie’s largest international markets were China, South Korea, the U.K., and France, where it made $42 million, $24 million, $22 million, and $14 million respectively.
How has the pandemic affected the movie’s performance in China?
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the box office performance of Hollywood films in China, leading to lower revenue compared to past films in the franchise.
What are the expectations for ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two’?
Expectations are high for the sequel, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two’, with hopes that it will offset the underwhelming performance of the first part.
Where does ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ stand in the franchise hierarchy?
While the movie will soon exceed the original Mission: Impossible’s lifetime global earnings, it’s unlikely to match the performances of the more recent films in the franchise. However, it has managed to avoid being the lowest-grossing entry in the series.
More about ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ Box Office Performance
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
- Tom Cruise Filmography
- Global Box Office Performance
- Mission: Impossible Franchise
- Interview with Christopher McQuarrie
(Note: The actual URLs are placeholders and should be replaced with actual URLs.)
