Earlier this week, news came out that “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Two” was being delayed by a year, but hidden away was a detail that many may have missed. It turns out that the film has changed its title, despite both films being connected.
When you title your movie “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” then you you’re asking fans to expect a “Part Two” It’s really that simple. Regardless, some pieces have popped up claiming the title change might be Paramount hitting the panic button.
Isn’t it a little too late to course correct? This is clearly a case of ‘Part One’ having underwhelmed at the box-office, with Tom Cruise and Paramount trying to distance themselves from it. Still, it’s a sign that the panic button has been hit and this franchise is starting to see signs of fatigue.
News of the title change for Dead Reckoning Part One's follow-up came after it was reported that the sequel, which halted its production due to the strike in July, went from its original premiere date of Jun. 28, 2024 to May 23, 2025.
‘Dead Reckoning — Part One’ garnered great reviews, but it ran concurrently with ‘Barbenheimer,’ costing the film dearly at the box office, as it only earned $567 million worldwide. Paramount lost $100 million on the movie.
This has led to people questioning whether the franchise has run its course. A 10.25.23 Guardian piece asks the question “Can Tom Cruise get audiences to care about Mission: Impossible 8?” Nobody really knows the answer to that question. There is a good chance it might make even less than its predecessor.
Maybe ‘Dead Reckoning’ did in fact get tossed aside by ‘Barbenheimer,’ or maybe audiences are getting bored by this franchise, which has been going at it now for almost 30 years. Regardless, it wasn’t the only blockbuster to underperform this summer — “Indiana Jones 5” and “The Flash” spring to mind.
My advice is for the marketing to not include the biggest stunt in the film, which is what Paramount dubiously did by showing Tom Cruise jumping off a motorbike on a mountain in the trailer.
Brady Corbet's “The Origin of the World,” his X-Rated epic about "Northern California’s economy" in the 1970s epic, has now started production in South Africa under the working title “SALT FLATS.”