Impossible’ 7 Takes Top Box Office Spot With $80 Million 5-Day Open—Setting Franchise Record

Topline

Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One earned the No. 1 spot at the box office in its opening weekend, bringing in $56.2 million in domestic sales from Friday to Sunday and $80 million since its Wednesday opening, according to Box Office Mojo—setting a franchise record but underperforming expectations given its $300 million budget.

Key Facts

Dead Reckoning Part One, the seventh film in the Mission: Impossible franchise, fell slightly short of the $85 to $95 million it was projected to earn in its five-day U.S. opening as of Wednesday.

But the film did set a franchise record for five-day earnings when compared to other Mission: Impossible films: Mission: Impossible-Fallout earned $77.5 million during its first five days in theaters in 2018, and Mission: Impossible II earned $78.8 million in the same time period in 2000, according to BoxOffice Mojo.

Dead Reckoning Part One fell short of both Fallout and Mission: Impossible II in terms of Friday-to-Sunday sales, but beat other films in the franchise in the opening weekend, including 1996’s original Mission: Impossible and 2015’s Rogue Nation (Paramount has released some movies in the series on Wednesdays and others on Fridays).

Since it opened, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One has brought in an additional $155 million overseas for a global total of $235 million.

Big Number

$300 million. That’s how much the latest Mission: Impossible film cost to make before marketing, according to Variety.

Key Background

Dead Reckoning Part One comes five years after the last Mission: Impossible film was released. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the latest Mission: Impossible film stars Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, Henry Czerny, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg. The film has a 96% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and 94% score from audiences. Last year, Cruise had the second-biggest film of the post-Covid era in terms of U.S. sales with the release of the highly anticipated Top Gun: Maverick.

Tangent

Meanwhile, Sound of Freedom, moved up to the No. 2 spot in its second weekend in theaters, earning $25 million from Friday to Sunday, according to Variety. The film—which has been criticized for the way it portrays child exploitation and for its lead actor’s ties to QAnon—has made $83 million in the two weeks it’s been in theaters. And Insidious: The Red Door dropped down to the No. 3 spot, earning $13 million in its second weekend in theaters. Overall the horror film has made $58 million domestically, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

What To Watch For

Next weekend is a highly anticipated opening weekend for films, with Barbie and Oppenheimer both premiering on Friday. The films have both received a lot of attention online and their diametric nature has attracted many folks to plan to see them both as a double feature, a rare phenomenon in the 21st century movie world. Barbie is projected to earn $80 to $100 million in its opening in theaters, according to Deadline. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer is projected to open to $40 million to $50 million, Deadline reported.

Further Reading

‘Insidious: The Red Door’ Earns $32.7 Million In First Weekend—Knocking ‘Indiana Jones’ Off Top Spot (Forbes)

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/07/16/mission-impossible-7-takes-top-box-office-spot-with-80-million-5-day-open-setting-franchise-record/