Over a month into its theatrical release, director Christopher McQuarrie‘s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is winding down at the box office. The movie didn’t turn out to be the breakout hit that it was expected to, and will likely conclude its run with just over $600 million worldwide. While it’s poised to overtake its direct predecessor, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, in a day or two, its massive reported budget still doesn’t make it a bona fide hit. That being said, The Final Reckoning has now overtaken one of star Tom Cruise‘s past hits, the acclaimed War of the Worlds.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the movie was released in 2005 to positive reviews but divisive fan reception. It ended up making $606 million worldwide, of which $372 million came from international territories. The Final Reckoning has now grossed $376 million from overseas markets, and a grand total of $561 million globally. Produced on a reported budget of $400 million, The Final Reckoning had a huge hurdle to overcome in its path to success. Going by the rule of thumb, it needed to make around $800 million globally just to break even. This would’ve made it the franchise’s top-grossing installment, ahead of Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which grossed over $790 million worldwide.
Unlike that universally acclaimed film, however, The Final Reckoning opened to divisive reviews. It holds an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which doesn’t exactly capture the problems that fans of the long-running action franchise had with it. The film’s audience score on the aggregator website is far superior, at 88%. The Final Reckoning was marketed as the climactic installment of the franchise, which has been headlined by Cruise for three decades. The last four installments have been directed by McQuarrie, his regular collaborator.
Tom Cruise Could Be Taking a Break from Action
War of the Worlds, however, was released at a time when he’d frequently work with auteur directors. The alien invasion epic holds a 76% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but its audience score is languishing at a terrible 42%. Spielberg is putting together a new UFO movie next; it’s set to star Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, and Colin Firth. Cruise, on the other hand, seems to be pivoting away from action movies, with a new project directed by the Oscar-winning Alejandro González Iñárritu lined up next. You can watch The Final Reckoning in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.