A brand new report surveying Hollywood specialists reveals a pessimistic outlook on the continued inventive and industrial potential of Tom Cruise’s Mission: Unattainable franchise. Comprising eight blockbuster motion films starring the Prime Gun actor, Mission: Unattainable has grossed greater than $4.7 billion worldwide and has change into synonymous with Cruise’s title.
Like in his different motion flicks, Cruise is understood for going above and past what most Hollywood actors can be anticipated to do in terms of performing terrifying stunts as his character Ethan Hunt takes on varied harmful espionage missions. The newest installment, Mission: Unattainable – The Ultimate Reckoning, was additionally a field workplace hit, grossing practically $600 million.
Nevertheless, this was not immensely worthwhile when The Ultimate Reckoning’s price range was eye-watering, reportedly near $400 million. A brand new “franchise scorecard” report from Selection now reveals severe doubts in regards to the future, because it assesses the place all the most important franchises in Hollywood (the MCU, DCU, and so on.) stand.
The report reveals that Mission: Unattainable’s most up-to-date installment didn’t see a lot change on the field workplace towards its historic common since 2010 (minus the pandemic years, and taking the general field workplace efficiency of 2025 into consideration): The Ultimate Reckoning’s home gross elevated by solely 16.4%, whereas worldwide noticed a lower of two.1%.
Extra regarding is the state of Mission: Unattainable’s cost-effectiveness, which is at -50.5%, as the most recent film grossed across the similar amount of cash however value way more. A graphic supplied by Selection additionally reveals that Hollywood professionals consider Mission: Unattainable’s “creative health” and “commercial potential” are worse than these of the MCU, Star Wars, and James Bond.
Hollywood Specialists Do not Assume Mission: Unattainable Will Survive With out Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt trying severe in Mission: Unattainable – The Ultimate Reckoning.
The specialists surveyed prompt that the explanation for Mission: Unattainable’s monetary issues is because of its lack of attraction to a youthful viewers. “That franchise is suffering from a generational divide,” says one govt. “It was an older-skewing audience.” The primary film starring Cruise got here out in 1996, and arguably has delivered a tried-and-true formulation for many years, with solely the stakes altering.
There has additionally been numerous debate surrounding whether or not there can be a Mission: Unattainable film after The Ultimate Reckoning, and the specialists consider that the story making an attempt to select up with out Cruise can be an issue. They’ve some extent, as Cruise’s title has been a vital a part of the franchise’s identification and advertising all this time. “He is the franchise,” says one other exec.
A screenwriter says of Mission: Unattainable: “Its greatest strength is Tom running, but what happens when Tom can’t run anymore?” A advertising exec weighs in: “It’s tough when you have a franchise hung on a single actor. I’m just not sure how much equity there’s left in that.”
What This Means For Mission: Unattainable’s Future
Hayley Atwell, Tom Cruise and Henry Czerny in Mission: Unattainable – The Ultimate Reckoning
These feedback are all very apt; nonetheless, there is no indication that one other Mission: Unattainable film is coming anytime quickly, as The Ultimate Reckoning serves as a finale for now. In the event that they ever attempt to revive the franchise, it is going to seemingly assist to have Tom Cruise on board in some inventive capability, whereas they are going to want an actor with immense star energy to take his place because the lead.
