gMOVIE NEWS – Tom Cruise’s return as Ethan Hunt might set a new box-office record for the franchise, with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning projected to open at $100 million domestically.

Film fans worldwide will have one clear mission this May: to pack cinemas as Tom Cruise reprises his iconic role of IMF agent Ethan Hunt in the highly anticipated Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Early forecasts by analytics firm Quorum indicate a massive domestic opening weekend of around $100 million over three days, marking a franchise-best debut for the series directed by Christopher McQuarrie (McQ).

The movie could perform even stronger than projected, benefiting from the extended Memorial Day weekend in the U.S., especially if this truly turns out to be Cruise’s final appearance as Ethan Hunt. While the Mission: Impossible films have consistently been box-office successes, none of the previous installments have reached the $100 million mark on their opening weekend. The domestic opening weekend figures of previous films are as follows:

Top Opening Weekends for the Mission: Impossible Series (Domestic)

($61.2 million) Mission: Impossible – Fallout
($57.8 million) Mission: Impossible II
($55.5 million) Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
($54.7 million) Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
($47.7 million) Mission: Impossible III
($45.4 million) Mission: Impossible
($12.8 million) Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Fans of the series are likely to flood theaters once again, eager to witness Cruise performing his thrilling stunts—particularly if this is indeed Ethan Hunt’s farewell mission. Actor Ving Rhames previously told MovieWeb that audiences should expect a “very emotional” final entry. Although surpassing the fan-favorite Fallout might be challenging, each sequel has historically outperformed its predecessor in both audience and critical reception.

Both Critics and Fans Have Embraced the Mission: Impossible Franchise

The official trailer for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, released on April 7, garnered over 12.6 million views in just five days, indicating strong enthusiasm among fans. The question remains whether this excitement will translate into a record-breaking turnout during Memorial Day weekend. Historical precedent suggests that large audiences will indeed fill theaters to see Ethan Hunt’s final mission unfold.

Only one film in the franchise, Mission: Impossible II, has fallen short of fan expectations, earning the series’ sole “Stale” Popcornmeter score (42%) from Rotten Tomatoes’ audience ratings. Conversely, every other installment has earned at least an “A-” CinemaScore rating, except for the aforementioned second film’s “B” rating. Thanks to enthusiastic audience support, the franchise has consistently achieved impressive global box-office totals, as shown below:

Mission: Impossible Films – Worldwide Box-Office Totals

($791.1 million) Mission: Impossible – Fallout
($694.7 million) Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
($682.7 million) Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
($571.1 million) Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
($546.4 million) Mission: Impossible II
($398.5 million) Mission: Impossible III
($181 million) Mission: Impossible

Critics have also consistently praised the films, with four installments (“Dead Reckoning Part One,” “Fallout,” “Rogue Nation,” “Ghost Protocol”) receiving Rotten Tomatoes’ coveted “Certified Fresh” designation. Cruise and McQuarrie are undoubtedly aiming for the franchise’s first-ever billion-dollar milestone this time around—a goal that will require unprecedented support from fans. Could The Final Reckoning finally be the Mission: Impossible film to reach this landmark when it hits theaters on May 23, 2025?

Source: MovieWeb