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“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” topped the domestic box office charts while falling short of initial expectations. Tom Cruise’s latest blockbuster raked in $56.2 million between Friday and Sunday, a lackluster start for a film that cost nearly $300 million before market.
Heading into the weekend, the Paramount and Skydance action-adventure was set to set a new franchise record with $60 million or more. Instead, ticket sales landed behind 2018’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ ($61 million) and 2000’s ‘Mission: Impossible II’ ($57.8 million), which remain the top openings of the series of 27 years.
Comparisons aren’t accurate because “Dead Reckoning Part One” opened on Wednesday rather than Friday. The seventh installment made around $80 million in its first five days of release, more than ‘Fallout’ ($77.5 million) and ‘Mission: Impossible II’ ($78.8 million) earned during their first five days in theaters. With a stellar 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and a brilliant “A” CinemaScore, “Dead Reckoning” should remain a box office force all summer long.
But right now it’s pulling similar numbers to Disney’s $300 million-budget “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Fate,” which debuted at $60 million over the traditional weekend and has grossed $82 million during the extended holiday period. “Indy 5,” which doesn’t enjoy great reviews or positive ratings, hasn’t shown any staying power; ticket sales are $136 million domestically and $263 million worldwide.
To avoid a similar fate, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” must have a box office as long and heavy as the film’s title. The film, which finds Cruise’s Teflon agent Ethan Hunt defying death as he soars off a mountain on his motorbike, scales a runaway train and maneuvers a small car through the busy streets of Rome, was incredibly expensive due to COVID related starts and stops and other pandemic safety measures. So there’s a chance that next summer’s sequel, “Dead Reckoning Part Two,” will be cheaper.
Already, the seventh “Mission: Impossible” shows strength at the international box office with 155 million dollars, including a weak 25.4 million in China. That brings its worldwide tally to a respectable $235 million, the franchise’s biggest worldwide debut.
“This [domestic] The opening is about average for an action thriller at this point in its series,” says David A. Gross, who runs film consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research. “Overseas markets are where action films excel, and overseas openings are strong.”
Repeat business, along with global box office returns, will be key to saving Cruise’s latest mission. And the good news is that “Mission: Impossible” movies have historically shown remarkable staying power, even with smaller opening weekends. “Fallout,” for example, raised $61 million to start and ended its run with a franchise-record $791 million worldwide.
But Ethan Hunt never had to deal with the phenomenon known as “Barbenheimer”. Next weekend, “Dead Reckoning” will vie for attention with Christopher Nolan’s dark historical drama “Oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s hot pink drama “Barbie,” both opening July 21. The unlikely clash between the two very different films has become an online craze, which has spilled over into the real world with tens of thousands of moviegoers booking double features of “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie.”
Elsewhere, the unlikely box office hit “Sound of Freedom” soared to second place on its second release with $25 million from 3,265 theaters, up 25% from last weekend. The faith-based child sex trafficking film has raked in $83 million after two weeks of release. It’s a reminder of the power of the religious public, which has surrendered in force and is seeking to propel the film past $100 million.
Last weekend’s champion, Sony’s horror thriller “Insidious: The Red Door,” fell to No. 3 with $13 million from 3,188 theaters. So far, the movie has grossed $58 million, which is a great result considering its $16 million budget.
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Fate” took fourth place with $12 million from 3,865 theaters in its third weekend of release. To date, the Harrison Ford-directed tentpole has grossed $145 million in North America and $302 million worldwide.
Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” rounded out the top five, grossing $8.7 million from 3,235 theaters in its fifth weekend on the big screen. The $200 million family-friendly animated film managed to stay with $125.3 million domestically and $311.7 million worldwide.
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