After a globe-trotting publicity blitz by star Tom Cruise, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One launched with a franchise-best US$80 million over five days, though it came in shy of industry expectations with a US$56.2 million haul over the three-day weekend, according to studio estimates.
That puts the film's opening-weekend tally very close to the tepid launch of Disney's Indiana Jones And The Dial of Destiny, which opened in US and Canadian theatres with US$82 million over five days and US$60 million over the three-day weekend. Paramount and Skydance had higher hopes for the action extravaganza of Dead Reckoning, which cost US$290 million to make, not counting marketing expenses.
"This is a global franchise. It's going gangbusters and its going to play for a long time. Quality always wins in the end," said Chris Aronson, distribution chief for Paramount.“In international markets, in like-for-like markets, we're 15 per cent ahead of Fallout, and that's taking China out," added Aronson. “Domestically, we're over 3 per cent ahead of Fallout for the first five days. To beat its predecessor is phenomenal, especially in this environment.
Though Dead Reckoning and Oppenheimer have vied for some of the same IMAX screens, each film has publicly endorsed the idea that a rising tide lifts all blockbusters. Cruise and McQuarrie in early July even bought opening-weekend tickets to both Barbie and Oppenheimer. Barbie director Greta Gerwig and Oppenheimer filmmaker Christopher Nolan reciprocated with their own gestures of support.