LOS ANGELS, CALIFORNIA: Few franchises have been as heavily impacted by setbacks as the "Mission: Impossible" series. With the Covid-19 pandemic causing numerous stoppages and delays, Tom Cruise and the team behind the films have faced a constant uphill battle.
Now, as they strive to bring 'Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One' to the big screen in summer after a significant postponement, a new roadblock has emerged in the form of the WGA writer's strike, grounding the production of 'Dead Reckoning Part Two.'
Director's frustration
Christopher McQuarrie, director of the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise, expressed his frustration with the unrelenting string of delays that have plagued the production of the two-part movie. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, McQuarrie compared the situation to an unstoppable series of tsunamis, stating, "Behind each tsunami is another tsunami. We live in a state of 24-hour tsunami awareness. That's just what we do."
Currently, 'Dead Reckoning Part Two' is only 40% shot, highlighting the significant amount of filming that still needs to take place once production can resume. With a planned release date in summer 2024, the film's delay could potentially cause a ripple effect in cinema release schedules once again, forcing other films to make adjustments.
It is worth noting that this isn't the first time the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise has been hit with delays. Both 'Mission: Impossible 7' and 'Mission: Impossible 8' faced significant setbacks due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While 'Dead Reckoning Part One' managed to finish filming in April 2023, with a scheduled release date in June the same year, the challenges persist.
IMAX battles: Tom Cruise versus Christopher Nolan
As the film industry struggles to recover, Cruise finds himself caught in another battle, this time for IMAX screens. Competing with highly anticipated films such as 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse', 'Barbie' and 'The Flash', 'Mission: Impossible 7' aims to secure its place at the box office. However, Christopher Nolan's upcoming film, 'Oppenheimer', is said to have already claimed the majority of IMAX screens.
With 'Dead Reckoning Part One' set to release on July 12, followed closely by 'Oppenheimer' on July 21, Cruise has just nine exclusive days to showcase his death-defying stunts on IMAX screens before Nolan's film takes over for three weeks. Cruise has reportedly been actively trying to convince distributors to make changes and secure more screens for his action flick and has even shown the film to distributors in an effort to prove its worthiness. However, as of now, no reports indicate any alterations to the release schedule.
Box office potential
Cruise's 2022 blockbuster, 'Top Gun: Maverick', grossed an impressive $110M on IMAX screens alone, out of its total box office run of $1.49B. This underscores the desire of fans to experience Cruise's thrilling stunts on the largest screens available. Unfortunately, due to the current circumstances, they may have limited time to do so this summer. While Cruise continues his efforts, the likelihood of 'Oppenheimer' being moved at such a late stage seems slim.
'Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One' is set to hit theaters on July 12, while "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Two' is expected to arrive on June 28, 2024, though these dates may be subject to change depending on the resolution of the ongoing delays in filming.
