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Mission: Impossible 6 Opening Weekend May Be Tom Cruise's Best Ever
Mission: Impossible - Fallout's projected opening weekend would be an all-time high for star Tom Cruise. At one point in his illustrious career, the actor could sell practically anything with just his name. Admittedly, he has lost some of his drawing power in recent years (American Made earned just $51.3 million last fall), but the Mission: Impossible franchise is always reliable. In fact, the action series is stronger than ever, as evidenced by Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation being the highest-grossing entries worldwide.
That hot streak is all but guaranteed to continue with Fallout, which is receiving rave reviews across the board and is considered to be one of the best action movies of this era. Its critical acclaim should lead to a substantial box office haul, as its debut is poised to be the highest in Mission: Impossible history. But if the cards land right, it'll also be a record breaker for Cruise himself.
According to Box Office Pro, Mission: Impossible - Fallout's opening weekend could go as high as $75 million. They forecast it for $70 million in its first three days, but both of those figures would be a new high for a Cruise starring vehicle. Austin Powers in Goldmember grossed $73 million in its debut back in 2002, though Cruise had only a cameo in the comedy. Currently, his biggest opening weekend is War of the Worlds, which made $64.8 million.
This development is a phenomenal turn of events for Paramount, considering the amount of money they have invested in Fallout. By any metric, the sequel has the highest production budget of the franchise; analysts believe the true cost is $180 million, but it could go as high as $250 million due to extra costs associated with Cruise's injury. Getting off to this great a start should ensure Fallout ends up being quite profitable. It is the last high-profile summer tentpole of 2018, meaning it won't face much competition in August. Also helping is the fact this is the first Mission: Impossible to be released in 3D, so it will get a boost from premium format prices. When it's all said and done, Fallout could be the biggest Mission both domestically and internationally.
Since Mission: Impossible is clearly showing no signs of slowing down, Fallout's performance will lead to discussions about a possible seventh installment. No such film is in the pipeline yet (Cruise is about to turn his attention to Top Gun: Maverick), but there's certainly incentive to keep it going. It'll be interesting to see if there is another sequel, since Cruise just turned 56 and won't be able to do death-defying stunts forever. The odds of Ethan Hunt being recast are slim, so everyone should enjoy the ride while it lasts.
Release Dates:
. Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) release date: Jul 27, 2018
