Movie

The seventh installment of the Tom Cruise-starring action film franchise falls short of initial expectations with $56.2 million against its nearly $300 million budget.

• Jul 17, 2023

AceShowbiz - "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" runs to the top of North American box office. The action movie starring Tom Cruise has emerged as a new victor despite falling short of initial expectations with an estimated $56.2 million between Friday and Sunday.

Made on a reported budget of $300 million before marketing, the Christopher McQuarrie-directed blockbuster was expected to collect $60 million or more on its first weekend. Instead, ticket sales landed behind 2018's "Mission: Impossible - Fallout", which made $61 million in its first weekend, and 2000's "Mission: Impossible II", which launched to $57.8 million. Both movies remain as the top openings in the 27-year-old series.

Still, Paramount Pictures takes pride in the movie's five-day debut. Instead of opening on Friday, the seventh installment in the franchise launched on Wednesday and has so far collected $80 million domestically. It set a 5-day opening domestic record for the franchise, surpassing "Mission: Impossible II" which took in $78.8 million over the long Memorial Day weekend.

"Dead Reckoning Part One" is also expected to be a global hit, already collecting $235 million worldwide. Paramount Domestic Distribution President Chris Aronson gushed over the franchise, " 'Mission' is a global story, has always been a global story, and will continue to be a global story." He added, "It's going gangbusters and its going to play for a long time. Quality always wins in the end."

"In international markets, in like-for-like markets, we're 15% ahead of 'Fallout', and that's taking China out," Aronson further divulged. "Domestically, we're over 3% ahead of 'Fallout' for the first five days. To beat its predecessor is phenomenal, especially in this environment."

Meanwhile, David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, isn't surprised that "Dead Reckoning Part One" couldn't keep up with its predecessors. "This [domestic] opening is roughly average for an action thriller at this point in its series," he weighed in. "The foreign markets are where action movies excel and the overseas openings are strong."

No other new wide release challenged "Dead Reckoning Part One" over the weekend as last week's champion "Insidious: The Red Door" is pushed down to No. 3 with an estimated $13 million. Faith-based political thriller "Sound of Freedom" rises one spot to No. 2 with approximately $27 million for an early domestic total of $83 million.

"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" drops two places to No. 4 with an estimated $12 million for a domestic total of $125.3 million. It has so far earned $302.4 million globally, but it has ways to go to break even with its massive production budget. "Elemental" follows at No. 5 with approximately $8.7 million.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (July 14-16, 2023):

1. "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" - $56.2 million
2. "Sound of Freedom" - $27 million
3. "Insidious: The Red Door" - $13 million
4. "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" - $12 million
5. "Elemental" - $8.7 million
6. "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" - $6.05 million
7. "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" - $3.4 million
8. "No Hard Feelings" - $3.3 million
9. "Joy Ride" - $2.6 million
10. "The Little Mermaid (2023)" - $2.4 million