Just two weeks into its theatrical run, rogue AI the Entity. It was directed and co-written by Christopher McQuarrie, who also led the 2023 installment. It reportedly had a massive $400 million budget and earned $79 million during the four-day opening weekend, which overlapped with Memorial Day.

According to a report by Deadline, the movie is expected to earn $26.7 million through this weekend, which would represent a 58% drop from its opening weekend. By the end of the weekend, it should have a total of $122 million domestically, meaning that it has already soared past the $100 million milestone. That would put it just behind Minority Report (2002) as Cruise's 17th-highest-grossing movie of all time at the domestic box office.

What This Means For Mission: Impossible 8

It Is Still Nowhere Close To Breaking Even

The Mission: Impossible franchise has always depended on incredible and death-defying stunts, which are loosely tied together by some overarching story. Cruise is the face of the franchise, as he enjoys performing his own stunts and participating in extremely risky maneuvers. With the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes of 2023 and the cost of those set pieces, it is no surprise that this movie compiled an extremely high budget. A $400 million total, however, is extremely risky, given that Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) was the highest-grossing movie in the franchise and earned just $824 million.

The Final Reckoning was originally titled Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.

Only one of Cruise's movies has ever earned over $1 billion, which is what this film would need to break even. Top Gun: Maverick (2022) seemingly saved the box office after the COVID-19 pandemic began, but no other movie came anywhere close to its $1.4 billion total. Although The Final Reckoning has crossed $100 million, it's still far from reaching the break-even point. A key reason is that the movie is facing significant competition, particularly Lilo & Stitch, which was released on the same weekend, and new releases like Karate Kid: Legends. While it will likely have stronger momentum internationally, it's unlikely to hit the target milestone to become a box-office success.

Our Take On The Final Reckoning's Box Office Milestone

It Should Be Cautiously Praised

Even if the movie is unlikely to earn $1 billion, the performance does deserve some acknowledgment. It earned $127 million overseas in its first week, so it is poised to draw audiences both domestically and internationally. It is already Cruise's 17th-highest-grossing domestic movie in just its second weekend, which is a positive sign for the franchise. With streaming also gaining more traction, the latest installment may see more success once it becomes available to watch from home. If there are more Mission: Impossible movies after The Final Reckoning, limiting the budget would be necessary, but this is proof that they are still viable.

Source: Deadline