‘Mission: Impossible 8′ starring Tom Cruise is one of the most expensive films in history and is unlikely to be profitable

Tom Cruise has been one of Hollywood’s leading actors for four decades, but even a world-renowned performer can sometimes fail to make his films profitable. The underwhelming box office performance of ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning’ (2023) was a wake-up call, and with the budget for ‘Mission: Impossible 8′ (2025) rising to $400 million, almost $100 million more than the previous film, it set off all the alarm bells. With these figures on the table, preliminary analysis suggests that it may not even break even.

Mission: Impossible 8 wraps filming, budget soars to $400 million

The Hollywood Reporter has dared to give an approximate figure for the total budget of ‘Mission: Impossible 8′, the eighth installment of the popular action and espionage saga starring Tom Cruise. Although it does not yet have an official title, this new movie has cost around 400 million dollars. This is a considerable amount of money, which places it close to other blockbusters such as ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (432 million) or “Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker” (2019).

This budget is also significantly higher than the previous film in the franchise, ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning’ (2023), which cost $291 million. It is therefore a significant increase in investment and a risk that its producers, Skydance Media and TC Productions, have decided to take. The film has already finished shooting and is currently in post-production, with the renowned Industrial Light & Magic providing the visual effects.

In addition to the actors’ salaries, a large portion of the budget was reportedly spent on dangerous, fast-paced action sequences, such as a chase in a light aircraft. In addition, unforeseen problems, such as filming scenes on a submarine, caused delays in filming, which inevitably added to the cost of the production.

Although ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning’ (2023) grossed $570 million, it is considered unprofitable for Paramount Pictures because it underperformed compared to its high budget. This is due to the so-called “2.5 times rule”: in the film world, and especially in the blockbuster arena, it is widely accepted that a feature film should earn about twice as much at the box office as it cost to produce, because other costs such as marketing and distribution are not part of the film budget itself, plus the percentage that theaters get for showing the films.

Knowing this, ‘Mission: Impossible 8′ should make at least 800 million at the box office. Not an impossible number - ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022) crossed the billion mark - but one that will be difficult to achieve. Although the ‘Mission: Impossible’ saga enjoys a good reputation among critics, audiences may not be as interested in it as they were a few years ago, which could contribute to lower-than-expected revenues.

In short, the eighth installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise is struggling to make a profit, and while Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning” received extremely positive reviews - with a 96% critical rating and 94% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes - it did not perform well enough at the box office to be considered a financial success. Although the final gross increased when the film was released on digital platforms and home formats, the total was still unsatisfactory for Paramount Pictures.

Given this recent precedent and the larger budget, ‘Mission: Impossible 8′ is likely to fall short of production and distribution expectations. The fact that it is being promoted as the final film in the franchise could give it a significant boost, helping audiences flock to their nearest theaters to see Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, in action for the last time. Barring any last-minute delays or cancellations, the release date for ‘Mission: Impossible 8′ at the time of publication is May 23, 2025.

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