Even without knowing that Mission: Impossible 8 is 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 for Mission: 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 much Fallout made a few years prior.
Dead Reckoning’s box office was even more troubling when other factors are accounted for. Tom Cruise was fresh off Top Gun: Maverick becoming a massive box office hit, so there was an expectation that audiences would be ready for another big Cruise action blockbuster. Dead Reckoning even scored franchise-high Rotten Tomatoes scores, and yet there was some disconnect between audiences’ willingness to see the movie in theaters and the film’s expected performance. If there is franchise fatigue or a decline in interest here, Mission: Impossible 8 having a better box office performance is more difficult.
