LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In the realm of adrenaline-fueled blockbusters, Tom Cruise is a force to be reckoned with. While ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ is poised to dominate the box office, it faces stiff competition from another Tom Cruise epic, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. While ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ is expected to dominate the box office, there's a heated debate brewing about whether it could surpass ‘Top Gun: Maverick’.
‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1’ marks the beginning of a thrilling two-part installment in the immensely popular franchise. However, surpassing the phenomenal box office performance of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is a daunting challenge that it might not be able to overcome. ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is Tom Cruise's highest-grossing movie, enjoying an extended run-in theater due to positive word of mouth. The ‘Mission: Impossible’ series has already amassed an impressive $3.5 billion in total earnings, and matching the success of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ would propel the franchise to a remarkable $5 billion. Such an achievement would be a significant triumph for Paramount Pictures, but it won't come without its difficulties.
Why ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Par 1’ might not beat ‘Top Gun: Maverick’
The ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise, despite its popularity, has never reached the billion-dollar mark, making it a significant challenge to aim for $1.5 billion. ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, on the other hand, earned close to $1.5 billion worldwide, almost doubling the earnings of ‘Mission: Impossible - Fallout’. In fact, Top Gun: Maverick's domestic gross alone reached $718 million, which is almost on par with Fallout's global earnings. This means that ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1’ would have to achieve twice the financial success of its predecessor, something the franchise has never accomplished on such a scale. While the marketing for ‘MI7’ highlights its ambitious nature and its role as the first part of a grand finale, a similar approach was taken with ‘Fast X’, which ended up underperforming at the box office. If any ‘Mission: Impossible’ film has the potential to rival Top Gun: Maverick's success, it would likely be ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 2’.
While ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1’ promises to deliver the same adrenaline-pumping action and death-defying stunts synonymous with Cruise's films, it doesn't guarantee an equivalent level of success as ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. Director Christopher McQuarrie has expressed his determination in an interview with Total Film to "crush Top Gun," reflecting the ambition to replicate the earlier film's triumph. Undoubtedly, Cruise's star power and the franchise's enduring popularity will ensure the movie's overall success, regardless of its quality. However, surpassing Top Gun: Maverick's achievement will undoubtedly pose a formidable challenge for the ‘Mission: Impossible’ team.
Will ‘Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part 1’ cross $1 billion?
‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1’ faces significant challenges in attempting to match the box office success of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, and even reaching a billion dollars seems unlikely for the seventh installment in the ‘Mission: Impossible franchise’. One obstacle is the film's 165-minute runtime, which generally hampers box office records, unlike the lean 130-minute runtime of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ which allowed for more daily screenings. Additionally, ‘Top Gun: Maverick's’ broad appeal across different age groups, including those who saw the original film decades ago, contributed to its success, while ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ lacks that widespread appeal.
Despite these challenges, ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ does have some factors working in its favor. The success of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, which gained immense attention and critical acclaim, can positively influence the reception of the Cruise-led ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie. Releasing ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ while ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is still fresh in people's minds could greatly benefit its box office performance. Furthermore, the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise has shown a generally upward trajectory at the box office, with each installment surpassing its predecessor in earnings. The previous film, ‘Mission: Impossible-Fallout’, made $786 million worldwide, nearly $100 million more than its predecessor, indicating the potential for another substantial leap in the series' financial success, particularly with the buzz generated by ‘Top Gun: Maverick’.
‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1’ will release in theaters on July 12.
