Paramount has a ‘Mission: Impossible’ problem.
Nobody expected this to happen. With “Top Gun: Maverick,” Tom Cruise was proclaimed the savior of cinema last year, but in 2023 his power has fluttered out. “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” is going to be losing 1,130 theaters in just its 3rd weekend.
Breaking even is now going to become almost impossible for this film. It has so far grossed $128 million domestically, $378 million worldwide, but it’s been sucked dry by the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon. Dead Reckoning’s $300 million budget, not counting marketing costs, and already half-shot sequel (“Dead Reckoning Part Two”) is not good news.
At this point, I honestly don’t know if Paramount would even think about greenlighting another ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie. The good news is that maybe Cruise can now go back to flexing his acting chops and star in original, non-IP films. One can only hope.