A mere twelve months after his triumphant return in Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise finds himself embroiled in a contentious dispute over the theatrical release strategy for his upcoming film. This battle appears to be an uphill struggle. Cruise’s highly anticipated project, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, is scheduled to hit cinemas on July 12th, securing a significant number of IMAX theaters across the nation.
The Mission: Impossible franchise is renowned for its high-octane action sequences, perfectly suited for the grandeur of larger-than-life venues like IMAX and Dolby theaters. Unfortunately, due to the intervention of Christopher Nolan, Dead Reckoning will have a disappointingly limited engagement on those coveted IMAX screens.
Tom Cruise To Face Tough Competition From Oppenheimer
On July 21st, Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated film Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr., will debut just over a week after the release of Mission: Impossible 7. This Universal production has secured exclusive bookings for every IMAX screen across North America during its opening week and for an impressive three weeks following its release.
Oppenheimer, a film that was entirely captured using IMAX cameras, will stand alone as the sole feature gracing IMAX theaters throughout this extended period. As per a recent update from Puck News, Tom Cruise is experiencing notable frustration with the current state of affairs. Reportedly, he has been vocalizing his grievances “forcefully” to Paramount executives regarding the situation at hand.
Additionally, Tom Cruise has taken it upon himself to personally reach out to various studio and theater executives in a determined effort to secure a wider availability of premium large-format screens for the screening of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Tom Cruise Intertwined In The Battle For IMAX
In today’s film landscape, the competition for IMAX and other premium format theaters has become crucial for big-budget productions. The success of Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick serves as a notable illustration of the immense value these high-priced cinematic experiences can bring.
The film garnered an impressive $110 million from IMAX theaters alone, with the potential for additional hundreds of millions from other premium formats. Consequently, the swift reallocation of these coveted screens, which could potentially impact the availability of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, has the potential to significantly impact its overall box office earnings.
According to the Puck report, the decision to set the release date for Oppenheimer was made well before Dead Reckoning switched to its current release date. The competition with Christopher Nolan’s film was always anticipated, but the filmmaker behind Oppenheimer has long been associated with IMAX. The fact that Oppenheimer was filmed entirely using IMAX cameras undoubtedly played a significant role in securing an extensive exclusive window for the film.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout is available for streaming on Paramount+.
Source: Comicbook
