Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Struggles at the Box Office
The seventh installment of the beloved Mission Impossible franchise, “Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning,” is performing poorly due to the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Released on July 12, 2023, the film only managed to attract slightly over 546,000 viewers in France during its second week, marking a 41% decline compared to its opening week. In total, the film has garnered approximately 1.4 million admissions in France, which is less than Barbie’s one-week record of 1.6 million admissions. On the other hand, Oppenheimer secured the second spot with 1.1 million ticket sales in France this week.
Top 10: The Barbenheimer phenomenon dominates with the 3rd and 6th highest openings in 2023 for Barbie and Oppenheimer, respectively. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning experiences a 41% drop but still holds up better than others. Elementary and Miraculous: The Movie remain strong, surpassing 2 million and 1 million admissions, respectively.
Looking beyond admissions, the box office numbers for Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning are equally disappointing. The film has only grossed $376 million worldwide so far, despite its $290 million budget. In comparison, Oppenheimer’s budget stands at a much lower $100 million, and Barbie’s at $145 million. Yet, Oppenheimer has earned around $238 million, and Barbie has raked in approximately $400 million globally.
A Beloved Action Franchise
Based on the 1966 TV series of the same name, Mission Impossible is a series of action and spy films that started in 1996. The franchise follows the adventures of Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise), a member of a secret organization called Mission Impossible, who assists government agencies worldwide in each installment. The films have been successful from the start, with the first installment earning over $457 million at the global box office and “Fallout,” released in 2018, garnering over $791 million.
With seven projects already completed, the franchise is far from over and will soon have an eighth installment: “Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 2.” This sequel is scheduled to be released on June 26, 2024, and will directly follow the events of this year’s film. Christopher McQuarrie, who has been directing the Mission Impossible films since 2011, will once again helm the project, which will feature Tom Cruise as the lead actor. Cruise had initially announced plans to film both the seventh and eighth installments simultaneously in January 2019, but later stated that production on the eighth film would commence at a later date. The ongoing strike by screenwriters, which began a few months ago, has resulted in a halt of filming after completing only 40% of the movie. As a result, the release of the eighth installment, initially set for June 26, 2024, may face delays.
