Why Dead Reckoning Tanked

The Mission Impossible films have been leaving audiences on the edge of their seats for over 25 years. It’s nearly impossible to look away as we watch Tom Cruise push the limit of his ability for on-screen practical stunts, which only seem to increase in scale with each new installment. So, why did Dead Reckoning Part One underperform? (And how is it even possible that a film can make over half a billion dollars and still be considered a flop?!)

The first installation of Christopher McQuarrie’s behemoth two-part addition to the series seems to check all the boxes of a major summer blockbuster. And coming off of the success of Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick, a film many claim to have revitalized the movie-going industry, this epic installment seemed like it was going to be a surefire hit. But only a week after its release, Dead Reckoning finished fourth in box office rankings, taking a huge hit from the massive success of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer - two original stories. This all begs the question, what went wrong for Cruise and Co.? While it’s complex, the ultimate answer just might boil down to something we’ve all been thinking for years.

Here’s our take on why the film’s rocky production process complicated the intended rollout, how its missing elements falter in comparison to a stellar previous installment, and what its box-office failures say about the future of franchise films.

Behind-The-Scenes Drama

The making of ‘Dead Reckoning’ was a mission in itself, with multiple production delays that set back the film’s release date by over two years. Filming began in February 2020, only to be quickly halted by the pandemic, picking up again in June 2020 after being granted special filming permissions within the United Kingdom. But the production was riddled with COVID shutdowns – leading to an infamous audio leak where Cruise is heard reprimanding crew members for not following safety guidelines. The clip quickly made rounds online for its unfiltered look at Cruise’s, well, intense demeanor, while also raising valid concerns about the rocky state of the entertainment industry at the time. In fact, many people stood with Cruise, praising him for his seriousness in keeping a production afloat during a time when countless filmmakers were out of work due to the pandemic. This leak occurred in 2020, but the hits just kept coming.

Next, a fire destroyed a key motorcycle stunt rig… and this was just before another crushing blow. While the production had come to an agreement with the Polish government to blow up a real bridge, a scorned, anonymous, ex-crew member spread a rumor that the bridge was a historic landmark AND tried to get it landmarked specifically so the stunt could not be filmed, prompting outrage from historians, scientists, and filmmakers alike. In return, the fuss hindered the crew’s ability to film in Poland, forcing them to construct a set bridge rather than use the real thing. These controversies added significant delays to the production process, ballooning the film’s budget to $291 million – making ‘Dead Reckoning’ one of the most expensive films ever made. And while they did technically keep the film’s name in the news, they didn’t necessarily help build hype. Ultimately, the extensive wait for the first part of an already lengthy series likely dulled the momentum of this once high-octane franchise.

Big Shoes To Fill

Over the years, the ‘Mission Impossible’ series has stuck out for its willingness to modernize the action flick - adding more female roles, diversifying the main cast, and updating outdated tropes historically found in the genre. But more often than not, Mission Impossible follows a pretty standard formula: Ethan and his team are presented with a mission, they rebel against that mission in one way or another, they save the day by the skin of their teeth, and the cycle starts all over again. Sticking to this formula allows the films to feel familiar while still remaining distinct, singular entities within a wide-ranging series.

But, this does highlight an issue with Dead Reckoning in particular: while each prior film could stand on its own, Dead Reckoning is only part one of a two-part series-within-the-series.

Attempts to make this story its own individual work are definitely made (and props to McQuarrie and Cruise for not leaving the audiences on a huge cliffhanger), but its role as a ‘part one’ sticks out when compared to the narrative tightness of past installments. At times, the film can feel bloated; particularly during Ethan’s early desert mission and a lengthy centerpiece negotiation scene with White Widow and Gabriel. Elaborate party scenes are a staple of the franchise, but instead of feeling multifaceted and tense like the swanky heist of Ghost Protocol, Dead Reckoning’s Venice party sequence hits a wall after the crew’s failed heist turns into a lengthy and stagnant vessel to explain Gabriel’s motivations.

From Agent Walker’s reveal as the menacing John Lark to Owen Davian’s terrifying sociopathic tactics, Mission Impossible villains have long sought to both personally terrorize Ethan and facilitate the world’s downfall. And while Gabriel certainly is an effective villain, he’s not really the film’s main big bad. The Entity, an extremely advanced and dangerous AI system holds all the cards here – which while horrifying in concept, is a bit muddled in execution. Plus, how the entity knows which characters will die is a bit far-fetched, even for Mission Impossible, leaving little holes in an otherwise logically sound mission.

Finally, and major spoiler alert here, the film hits its greatest snag with its misuse of, and choice to kill off Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa. After establishing her as a key player in the IMF world throughout both ‘Rogue Nation’ and ‘Fallout’, her death in ‘Dead Reckoning’ is not only an underwhelming send-off to a key character but also a pretty cliche evocation of the ‘damsel in distress’ trope for a series that generally attempts to be smarter in the usage of its female characters. In a sense, Ilsa was established as an equal to Ethan, not only through her top-notch combat skills but also in her moral sensibilities. This is why it’s so difficult to believe that her fight with Gabriel is what takes her down, especially after watching her go toe-to-toe with much more dangerous foes in the past two films. This isn’t new for Mission Impossible, almost all of Ethan’s love interests have either been killed or written off, but Ilsa’s characterization felt new and exciting - not only did she and Ethan have a connection, but she also had an interesting backstory of her own that made her an engaging and welcome addition to the series. By presenting Ethan with a choice between Ilsa and newcomer Grace, Gabriel’s trap regresses the series back to the action movies of the past that it so badly wants to subvert. Here the film hints that there’s room for only one mysterious brunette in Ethan’s life, rather than really upping the stakes by threatening Luther or Benji as opposed to Ilsa. But by centering Ethan’s choice around the women in his life, ‘Dead Reckoning’ undermines its own progress by revealing just how disposable its female characters are in the end. Though this could all just be a fakeout, as it stands now, it does feel like staying alive as a woman in this series is nearly impossible.

Are Franchise Films In Jeopardy?

Initially projected to gross $90 million in its first week, ‘Dead Reckoning’ opened with a total 5-day gross of only $78.5 million. And after its third weekend, the film fell to fifth place at the box office, generating a meager $10.6 million. The high-gloss, star-studded action film that the industry had assumed would be the blockbuster of the summer ended up getting overthrown by… a movie about a doll and a three-hour psychological drama about the invention of the atom bomb. The cracks started showing before any of the films premiered, as Dead Reckoning’s promo push was completely overshadowed by the intense Barbenheimer hype. Beginning as a meme poking fun at the hilarity of tonal opposite films ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ being released on the same day, the dawn of ‘Barbenheimer’ quickly spiraled into a cultural moment that brought millions of moviegoers to the theater. While new films from Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan were bound to generate interest regardless, and they starred incredible casts, the Barbenheimer hype train brought their box office debuts to smashing heights, with both films generating astounding box office numbers. The exact kind of numbers, in fact, that everyone had expected from a known property starring one of Hollywood’s last true movie stars.

And it seems that the answer to this riddle is that moviegoers may finally be getting tired of the deluge of franchise film sequels. Sure, Dead Reckoning is nearing $500 million at the box office worldwide, but that’s still a couple hundred million short of expectations. Dedicated Mission Impossible fans and a slice of the average theater-goer population definitely turned out to see Ethan on yet another mission, but the runaway success of Barbie and Oppenheimer indicates that what people really want are new stories, not just yet another installment of an already 7-part franchise. Barbie and Oppenheimer generated hype because they were exciting, fresh takes that went full throttle in their approach to the subject. And while the Mission Impossible films are excellent action films because of their commitment to fast-paced spy action and daredevil practical stunts, at this point audiences know what to expect. The villains may change, but the basic structure of a Mission Impossible film is pretty rigid. While audiences haven’t totally given up on beloved franchises yet, it’s clear that Hollywood and audiences are changing and in search of something new.

Conclusion

Box office performance and minor critiques aside, ‘Dead Reckoning’ is a genuinely great action film in its own right. Many lists ranking the series place the installment quite high, and it’s another thrilling addition to a strong franchise that has become a pro at constantly upping its own stakes. Cruise and McQuarrie clearly care about creating the most exciting movie-going experience possible, and they do succeed in many ways. Mission Impossible isn’t the only franchise suffering from audience fatigue – even Marvel films have taken a hit in the past two years. As the Hollywood landscape continues to change, creators are going to have to start listening to audiences and rethinking their long-held plans for box office success, which is a mission we’re on board with.