IN DEPTH
Despite earning impressive reviews, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One didn’t perform well in the box office, struggling under the competition from Oppenheimer and Barbie. IMAX attempted to convince Paramount to reconsider the release date of Dead Reckoning Part One to secure better IMAX returns, but the studio remained steadfast. This decision by Paramount may become notorious as one of the costliest missteps in contemporary cinema history as Oppenheimer shattered IMAX records and continues to witness full houses globally.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One entered the theater scene with remarkable praises, the best critiques amongst all Mission films so far, and a leading man in Tom Cruise who had been on a winning streak for the past ten years, fresh off his most successful film yet. Regardless, the film tanked due to the tough competition from Oppenheimer and Barbie, and Paramount might end up losing money as a result.
In this context, Oppenheimer proves to be a more critical competitor. A portion of the profits from Cruise’s previous movie, Top Gun: Maverick, and the last Mission film, Fallout, came from extended showings on premium large format screens, specifically IMAX. However, Mission was given just one week on IMAX screens due to an exclusive agreement with Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer, much to the disappointment of Cruise. It’s been disclosed that IMAX had previously implored Paramount to reconsider the release date of Dead Reckoning Part One, as they foresaw the upcoming problem and suggested a later date could yield better IMAX earnings.
Bruce Markoe, IMAX’s post-production head, disclosed to Forbes that IMAX had proposed Paramount reconsider the release date of Dead Reckoning Part One to ensure an unobstructed, prolonged run on IMAX screens, thereby increasing its share of the earnings.
Regrettably, Paramount stood their ground, and their choice of release date for Dead Reckoning Part One may be remembered as one of the costliest errors in recent cinema history.
“Releasing big movies is always a challenge due to timing issues. The summer is always packed with releases. We wished to show both movies as much as possible because Mission would have been spectacular in IMAX, but the studio decided to schedule the movie right after Oppenheimer. We tried to convince them to reschedule to give both films ample time to run in IMAX, but our efforts were in vain. Ultimately, it’s the studio’s decision,” Markoe explained.
Markoe further elaborated that it’s not rare for studios to collaborate with IMAX to lock in favorable dates, stating, “Sometimes, studios cooperate with us, and they do reshuffle dates, but at other times they insist, ‘No, this is our date. We won’t budge!’. This can lead to conflicts, unfortunately. So, this was an instance where we couldn’t align the dates as we would’ve preferred. There’s a possibility that Mission might return to IMAX when we have a slot available – we might bring it back. There are a lot of big movies out there!”
Markoe also mentioned that Nolan is seen as the “pioneer” of the modern IMAX experience due to his advocacy and support of the format as the ultimate standard in cinema. After taking over from Dead Reckoning Part One, Oppenheimer has gone on to break IMAX records and has secured an extended run for at least the next fortnight, with potential for additional screenings into the fall given the film’s continuous worldwide sell-outs. Needless to say, underestimating Nolan and Oppenheimer was a hefty blunder.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Release Date
What was the performance of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ at the box office?
Despite receiving stellar reviews, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ didn’t fare well at the box office, struggling under the intense competition from Oppenheimer and Barbie.
Why did IMAX want to change the release date of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’?
IMAX sought to change the release date of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ to ensure a longer and uninterrupted run on IMAX screens. They believed this would increase the movie’s share of the box office earnings.
Did Paramount agree to change the release date as IMAX suggested?
No, Paramount did not agree to change the release date of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ despite IMAX’s suggestion, which many see as a costly mistake in light of the film’s underwhelming box office performance.
How did the release date decision impact the film’s IMAX earnings?
Due to the decided release date, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ was given only one week on IMAX screens before the release of ‘Oppenheimer’. This significantly limited the potential IMAX earnings for the movie.
Who is considered the “grandfather” of the modern IMAX experience?
Christopher Nolan is considered the “grandfather” of the modern IMAX experience due to his strong advocacy and support of the format as the ultimate standard in cinema.
More about Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Release Date
- Forbes Interview with Bruce Markoe
- IMAX’s Plea to Paramount
- Box Office Performance of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’
- Oppenheimer Breaking IMAX Records
- Christopher Nolan and IMAX
6 comments
And this, folks, is why u don’t underestimate Christopher Nolan’s pull on the box office. His films + IMAX = guaranteed success!
Can’t believe Paramount didn’t listen to IMAX’s advice…Could’ve changed the whole game for Dead Reckoning.
I enjoyed Dead Reckoning. But, yeah, it was a mistake to go up against Oppenheimer. Looking forward to seeing it on IMAX again though!
Tom’s still the best. Just bad timing, thats all. they’ll bounce back.
honestly, who competes with a Nolan release?? esp on IMAX… Paramount had it coming :/
This will go down in film history… and not for the right reasons. Such a miscalculation by Paramount smh.