Tom Cruise cruised his way to the No. 1 spot at the box office this weekend with Mission: Impossible — Fallout, raking in the highest debut of any film in the franchise.
According tothe Hollywood Reporter, the latest Cruise-led action film brought in $61.5 million during its opening weekend in North America. That makes it the 56-year-old’s second highest-grossing opening weekend ever behind War of the Worlds ($64.9 million). The flick also succeeded overseas, bringing in $92 million for a global debut of $153.5 million. That’s without the huge market in China, where it's slated to open on Aug. 31.
Fallout is already close to covering its $178 million budget, a huge feat for the sixth film in this franchise that started back in 1996. "Tom Cruise has proven time and time again that when it comes to action, he is one of the most dependable stars out there. We've had all these big visual-effect driven summer movies. Now comes along a movie where the actor and director are putting it all on the line with real stunts. It provides raw and visceral entertainment that people are excited about," Paramount domestic distribution chief Kyle Davies told THR.
In comparison, 2000's Mission: Impossible II's opening weekend previously reigned at No. 1 with $57.8 million, followed by Rogue Nation's $55.5 million. According toBox Office Mojo, the Fallout projections would place the film in fifth if inflation is accounted for. Mission: Impossible II would remain in the No. 1 spot with over $99 million, followed by Mission: Impossible ($95 million), Mission: Impossible III ($67.5 million), and Rogue Nation ($62 million).
The film also stars Angela Bassett and Henry Cavill alongside Cruise, and has earned itself a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the franchise's highest score.
