It worked for quite some time, but directorChristopher McQuarrieon-the-fly style of filmmaking appears to have hit a roadblock. While reviews forMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoningwere great, the film underperformed at the box office. Its successor,Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, is having similar financial difficulties. The two movies are currently neck-and-neck on the global charts. Domestically, however,The Final Reckoninghas overtaken its predecessor, and has nowshot past one of the most influential blockbusters in recent history.
Having completed over five weeks of release in theaters,The Final Reckoninghas established itself among the 300 highest-grossing movies ever made,with $187.9 million in the bank. Earlier this week, it overtook directorRidley Scott’s seminal 2000 hitGladiator, which concluded its run with $187.6 million. The period epic was headlined byRussell Crowe, who won an Oscar for his lead performance. The movie itself was nominated for Best Picture. It recently spawned a sequel, titledGladiatorII, which made $172 million domestically and $460 million worldwide, against a budget that has been reported to be as high as $230 million.
The originalGladiator, on the other hand, cost a reported $110 million to produce. It holds an 80% score onRotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, “While not everyone will be entertained byGladiator’s glum revenge story, Russell Crowe thunderously wins the crowd with a star-making turn that provides Ridley Scott’s opulent resurrection of Rome its bruised heart.” Incidentally,The Final Reckoningis sitting on the exact same scoreon the aggregator website, although public response has been divisive.
‘The Final Reckoning’ Was Sold as the Last Installment of the Franchise
While the film’saction sequences drew praise, the plot was perceived as too unwieldy by a section of the audience. The biggest hurdle in the film’s path to success, however, is itsmassive reported budget of $400 million. This makes it one of the most expensive movies ever made. StarTom Cruisewould’ve liked to go out with a bang; the film was sold as the final installment ofthe long-running action franchise, which he has headlined since the mid-1990s. However, the best thatThe Final Reckoningcan hope for at this stage in its run is to pass the $600 million mark at the worldwide box office. You can watch the film in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
