“Mission: Impossible 7”
Tom Cruise crashes at the box office
Tom Cruise crashes with “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part 1”.
© 2023 Paramount Pictures
After a disappointing start: “Mission: Impossible 7” collapsed at the US box office on the second weekend.
Tom Cruise (60) and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part 1” on the descent: The seventh part of the action saga played “only” 19.5 million US dollars in the USA on its second weekend. In the first few days after its North American launch on July 14, it was 56.68 million. That meant a drop between the first and second weekend by around 64 percent.
For “Mission Impossible 7” this means the steepest weekend crash in the history of the agent series. The previous negative record was held by “Mission: Impossible II”. In 2000, John Woo’s (77) film experienced a 52 percent decline.
The box-office result of the first week had already undercut expectations. “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part 1” fetched a total of 78 million dollars in its first five days in US cinemas. The makers reckoned with 90 million US dollars. A low blow for Tom Cruise, who was so used to success with “Top Gun: Maverick”.
“Barbenheimer”: Strong competition from two films
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part 1” fell victim to a unique pop culture constellation in its second week. With “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” two potential blockbusters started on the same day. “Barbenheimer” baptized memes the double whammy.
And the two dissimilar films then delivered the same. Christopher Nolan’s (52) “Oppenheimer” grossed $80 million on its first US weekend.
“Barbie” started even stronger. The comedy, starring Margot Robbie, 33, and Ryan Gosling, 42, grossed $155 million. Director Greta Gerwig (39) thus achieved the strongest start by a female filmmaker. At the same time, “Barbie” had the best theatrical release of 2023. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($146 million) is dethroned.
The loser is Tom Cruise. He had even advertised a visit to the cinema by “Barbenheimer” via Instagram – to strengthen the institution of cinema itself.