Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning continues to thrive at the box office, but it is still struggling compared to other movies in the franchise. A sequel to ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning Part One (2023) and the eighth movie in franchise history, the film sees Tom Cruise reprising his role as Ethan Hunt, as he attempts to prevent an AI from devastating the world. The previous movie earned $571.1 million, which was concerning, as this direct sequel reportedly had a $400 million budget. To achieve profitability, it will need to dominate the box office, and it is enjoying some positive momentum.

Having taken third place at the box office in its third weekend, per Variety, The Final Reckoning earned $15 million on the weekend. That raises its global take to an astounding $450 million, partly driven by its $149 million North American gross. While that is a substantial sum, it is still unable to surpᴀss many other movies in the franchise. At the moment, it has only outearned Mission: Impossible III (2006), which made $399 million without accounting for inflation. When considering inflation, Final Reckoning remains the lowest-grossing Mission: Impossible movie, though there is still time for its total to rise.

What This Milestone Means For The Final Reckoning

It Still Desperately Needs More Growth

Like other Mission: Impossible movies, Final Reckoning depends on an ever-escalating series of stunts to entertain viewers and draw attention at the box office. Unfortunately, that means that the movies could never succeed without a significant budget. The $400 million budget, however, is immense and makes this movie one of the most expensive films of all time. It would need to make over $1 billion just to achieve a profit, and that seems increasingly unlikely as the third weekend wraps up. After all, no Mission: Impossible movie has ever reached $1 billion without adjusting for inflation:

When accounting for inflation, Mission: Impossible 2, Ghost Protocol, Fallout all managed to accomplish the feat, but they all came before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, the box office has been volatile, as streaming networks have led to a reduction in viewership in theaters. ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning saw a decline of $400 million with inflation, marking a new ceiling for the franchise that Final Reckoning is struggling to shatter. With $450 million through its third weekend, crossing $1 billion is extremely unlikely, though it can still surpᴀss ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning and the raw totals for Mission: Impossible and Mission: Impossible 2.

Our Take On Final Reckoning’s Box Office Milestone

Hollywood Needs To Start Being Careful

The ever-increasing budget for blockbuster movies is becoming a significant issue that Hollywood needs to reckon with. A $450 million take should be a moment for celebration, especially in its third weekend, but the hefty $400 million price tag makes profitability extremely unlikely. By all means, Final Reckoning is a thrilling movie, as ScreenRant‘s Mary Kᴀssel calls it “a well-deserved victory lap,” but it cannot take a victory lap at the box office, due its budget. This movie will likely climb the charts later in its run, but careful budget management could have saved Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning some grief.

Source: Variety