Tom Cruise’s farewell as Ethan Hunt is making waves at the global box office. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning grossed a massive $15 million on Memorial Day Monday, setting a new record for the franchise. This figure surpasses the previous best set by Mission: Impossible 2 ($13M), bringing the four-day domestic total to $79 million. It now ranks as the 16th biggest Memorial Day weekend opening of all time, edging out Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales ($78.5M). Cruise also becomes the only actor with three films in the Memorial Day all-time Top 20, joining Top Gun: Maverick and MI2.
Strong Numbers Despite Challenges
What makes this achievement more remarkable is the film’s uphill battle. Despite fewer screenings due to its lengthy runtime and facing tough competition from other summer blockbusters, Cruise’s magnetic pull and the franchise’s consistent delivery of high-octane thrills kept audiences hooked.
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, The Final Reckoning is the eighth and final chapter in the Mission: Impossible saga. The story sees Ethan Hunt and the IMF team racing against time to stop “The Entity,” a rogue AI threatening global annihilation. Familiar faces like Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett return in pivotal roles.
A Blockbuster Worth the Wait
Originally intended to be shot back-to-back with 2023’s Dead Reckoning Part One, production faced significant delays due to COVID-19 and the SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming finally wrapped in November 2024 across multiple countries including the UK, Norway, Malta, and South Africa.
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With a staggering budget of $300–400 million, the film premiered in Tokyo and screened at Cannes before releasing worldwide on May 23. Having already earned over $200 million globally, The Final Reckoning is the year’s eighth highest-grossing film and the biggest opening weekend in Mission: Impossible history.
