Mission: Impossible’s Streaming Triumph Turns the Tables

Tom Cruise has once again found himself leading the pack, with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning landing straight at number one on Paramount+. Whenever a new Cruise flick drops, it’s almost a given that it’ll muscle its way to the top of the streaming charts, and this so-called final chapter in the franchise was never likely to settle for anything less than first place.

Star-Studded Cast and Creative Team

This latest outing brings together a hefty ensemble, including Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman, Angela Bassett, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, Rolf Saxon, and Lucy Tulugarjuk. Christopher McQuarrie is back in the director’s chair, co-writing the script with Erik Jendresen.

Two months after the events of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) continue their search for the Entity, a terroristic AI that has infiltrated intelligence networks across the globe. As pressure mounts while Hunt and his team are pursued by governments, ghosts from his past emerge in the latest instalment of the iconic action spy series.

Box Office Woes and a New Direction

After the previous film, Dead Reckoning, didn’t exactly set the box office alight, there was hope that a quick rebrand for its follow-up (originally titled Dead Reckoning Part 2) would help the franchise move on. Still, with a global take of $598 million against a rumoured $300–400 million budget, the numbers weren’t quite what the studio would’ve liked, leaving a fair bit of cash on the table.

The production itself was anything but smooth sailing. The plan had been to shoot this one back-to-back with Dead Reckoning, but schedules shifted in 2021, and the project ended up right in the thick of the 2023 strikes. Delays dragged out filming, and costs ballooned—much like the aircraft Cruise was spotted doing stunts on during the shoot.

Critical Response and Streaming Success

Reviews were decent, if not spectacular, with critics giving it an 80% score and punters rating it at 88%. While it didn’t quite reach the heights of earlier entries, its underwhelming box office has been given a bit of a boost thanks to a huge streaming debut. The film’s arrival on Paramount+ has also seen other Mission: Impossible titles climbing the charts.

At the moment, Cruise holds the top four spots on the U.S. streaming chart. The original Mission: Impossible and its sequel are sitting in second and fourth, while his action flick American Made is in third. Top Gun: Maverick, another Cruise juggernaut, is still hanging on in the Top 10, currently at number ten.

What’s Next for the Franchise?

Despite the title, The Final Reckoning might not be the last we see of Ethan Hunt. While it’s hard to say if Cruise will be back in the role any time soon, with a franchise this big, you can never really rule anything out.