Tom Cruise's latest action film, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, hasn't earned enough money at the box office for Paramount to wait long before releasing it on streaming.
If it had earned a record-setting haul at the box office, Mission Impossible 7's streaming release date was projected to be as late as February 2024 on Paramount+.
However, after falling short of expectations by the studio based on its massive $291 million budget and Tom Cruise's history of box office success, Dead Reckoning Part One may be streaming earlier than previously anticipated.
The Failure of Mission Impossible 7 at the Box Office
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One has grossed over $550 million at the global box office, a far cry from Tom Cruise's $1.49 billion earner during summer 2022 with Top Gun: Maverick.
As it currently stands, Dead Reckoning Part One is the fourth-highest-earning film in the franchise, not what Paramount wanted when it spent almost $300 million on its production budget.
Its direct predecessor, Mission Impossible: Fallout, cost less than $180 million and earned $786.6 million at the global box office, the most in franchise history.
Coming off the heels of Maverick, Paramount expected more from Cruise's latest high-flying action flick.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, the return on investment is looking grim, Dead Reckoning Part One will likely lose the studio $100 million based on theatrical performance.
Strategic placement is undeniably a reason for this, having released just 9 days before Barbie and Oppenheimer simultaneously took over movie theaters. This led to Mission Impossible 7 suffering the biggest second-weekend domestic box office drop in franchise history.
This lack of foresight (especially considering the loss of premium format screens) may have cost Dead Reckoning Part One tens of millions of dollars, possibly much more.
However, the film was reviewed well by critics (96% score on Rotten Tomatoes) and a crowd-pleaser among audience members, indicating that it could be a big hit on streaming for those who missed out in theaters.
When Will Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Start Streaming?
If Paramount were to follow the same trend as Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One would begin streaming around 209 days after its theatrical release.
This would be a mistake to assume, considering Maverick earned over $900 million more than Mission Impossible 7.
In reality, Paramount is actually aggressive with its theatrical release window. Other 2023 films, such as Scream 6 and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, hit streaming less than 50 days after hitting theaters.
To be clear, the new Mission Impossible will not be streaming 50 days after release on August 31.
However, Paramount also likely won't wait until 2024 to begin streaming Dead Reckoning Part One. A reasonable window would be 90 to 120 days before streaming on Paramount+.
90 days after hitting theaters would equate to Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One streaming on October 10. If the studio were to wait 120 days, or if there's something contractually holding them back, the latest Mission Impossible would begin streaming on November 9.
It's hard to nail down an exact streaming date for this film, especially considering Tom Cruise's dedication to the movie theaters and a possible change of plans from when Paramount initially wanted to begin streaming the film.
Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, starring Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell, is currently playing in theaters.
