Summary
Mission: Impossible 8’s reported budget is a worrying development for the franchise afterMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning. The twoMission: Impossiblemovieswere originally announced as parts one and two of the same major story, signaling that the series was going bigger than ever before for what could be Tom Cruise’s final installments. This was understandable on the heels ofMission: Impossible - Falloutbreaking franchise records. And even thoughDead Reckoninghas already been released,Mission: Impossible 8is still filmingand becoming more costly as its 2025 release date approaches.
This has led to reports thatMission: Impossible 8’s budgetis not only the highest for any movie in Tom Cruise’s franchise but that it is among the most expensive movies ever made. It has been reported thatMission: Impossible 8’s budget is more than $300 million. Although Paramount has not confirmed these financials, the film has had a lengthy shoot as a result of multiple delays and shutdowns due to COVID-19, strikes, and other complications. WithMission: Impossible 8breaking records with its budget, there is even greater reason to worry about the film and its chance of achieving success.
Mission: Impossible 8 - Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know About The Final Reckoning
The Mission: Impossible 8 release date is set for 2025, and there’s intense speculation on what’s next for Ethan Hunt after Dead Reckoning Part One.
Mission: Impossible 8’s Budget Makes The Film A Much Bigger Box Office Risk
It Has A Tougher Path To Being Profitable
Now thatMission: Impossible 8’s budget has broken past the $300 million mark, the film is a much bigger risk for the franchise. The series typically was quite smart with its budgets, but the turbulent production on the last two movies is where things got out of control.Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning’s budgetwas $291 million, and the filmreportedly lost Paramount between $100 million and $200 million. This was even after making $567.5 million at the box office. WithMission: Impossible 8’s budget eclipsingDead Reckoning’s, the sequel’s box office will also have to be substantially higher to achieve success.
$300+ Million
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The earlier entries in the series all managed to find success on some level, butMission: Impossible 8’s budget risks it becoming a failure. The original film made over five times its budget at the box office, andMission: Impossible IImade more than four times its cost. EvenMission: Impossible IIIstill doubled its budget despite having the franchise’s lowest box office total. The more recent entries were all major hits even with higher budgets.Mission: Impossible 8must achieve far bigger box office success to be a hit now, which is far from a guarantee.
The Franchise Could Be Losing Momentum
Even without knowing thatMission: Impossible 8is one of the most expensive movies of all time, there was reason for concern regarding its financial outlook. The film is the second part of a two-movie story, but audiences did not turn out as expected forMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning. The movie’s $567.5 million box office performance was rather disappointing. It was the lowest total for any of the modern four installments and a substantial drop from how muchFalloutmade a few years prior.
Dead Reckoning’s box officewas even more troubling when other factors are accounted for. Tom Cruise was fresh offTop Gun: Maverickbecoming a massive box office hit, so there was an expectation that audiences would be ready for another big Cruise action blockbuster.Dead Reckoningeven scored franchise-high Rotten Tomatoes scores, and yetthere was some disconnect between audiences' willingness to see the movie in theatersand the film’s expected performance. If there is franchise fatigue or a decline in interest here,Mission: Impossible 8having a better box office performance is more difficult.
Mission: Impossible 7’s Box Office Is A Rarity For Tom Cruise Sequels That Might Kill The Franchise
Tom Cruise is known as one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood. However, Mission: Impossible 7’s poor performance wasn’t in isolation.
How Much Mission: Impossible 8 Needs To Make To Avoid Being A Box Office Disappointment
The Budget Raises Box Office Expectations
Based on the reported $300 million budget,Mission: Impossible 8’s box office expectations are much higher if the film is to avoid disappointment. The typical rule of thumb in Hollywood is that a film needs to double its budget to break even, while anything around two and a half or three times the cost takes the movie into profitable territory. This would mean that a $600 million worldwide total could be enough for Paramount to not deem the film as a major loss. But, it might now be required thatMission: Impossible 8needs to make $750M-$900M at the box office to be a hit.
Dead Reckoningreportedly lost Paramount $100M-$200M after its performance in theaters, which means that film needed to make around $650-$750M to break even. The reports ofMission: Impossible 8’s budget being even higher means that its box office also must finish with a bigger total. The upper end of the $750M-$900M range is where the sequel could find success. All that means is thatMission: Impossible 8likely needs to become the franchise’s highest-grossing movie to achieve any level of success. That’s also assumingMission: Impossible 8’s cost does not continue to increase.
