‘Mission Impossible 8’ could be the last, and with a budget nearing $400 million we’re not surprised

Mission Impossible 8, or as it was previously called Dead Reckoning Part 2 is still a ways from its release, however, a new report has revealed just how much cold hard cash has been sunk into this project already, and it’s a lot.

This next installment into the iconic spy franchise starring the one and only Tom Cruise will be a followup to 2023’s Dead Reckoning Part One, which has since been shortened to just Dead Reckoning, and according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, it may be the last in the franchise.

Paramount wants to market Mission Impossible 8 as the final movie in the series, according to The Hollywood Reporter’s report, however, the main man Tom Cruise has no interest in hanging up the gloves and putting Ethan Hunt to bed anytime soon. While the studio believes advertising the next movie as the last will bolster interest, Cruise has previously spoken saying he wants to play this character into his 80s, and as such there seems to be a disagreement on just how Mission Impossible 8 should be promoted.

Being the last film in the series makes sense given the astronomical cost this production has garnered in the years since it began production. Reports claim that due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes delaying production, so far the movie has cost Paramount around $400 million, and that figure is only set to rise once the movie enters its marketing phase.

Recently the movie concluded its filming and entered post-production where it remains today. It was also recently announced that the film is still set to receive a new title, changing the initial plan to have this simply be Part 2 of the last entry. Expect to see exactly what this new name will be when the first trailer for the movie drops soon.

Critically Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning was a huge success. Both critic and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes are extremely positive, however, that didn’t convert into any record-breaking box office numbers. During its run, the last Mission Impossible film only managed to make $566 million globally which is commendable but still not ideal given its pre-marketing budget was around $300 million. Given the increase in budget for its sequel, naturally, it is expected to perform better, but given the state of cinema recently, it’s anyone’s guess how the film will be received.

If Mission Impossible 8 is the last entry into the franchise then it will conclude as one of the longest-running and best spy series of all time. The first Mission Impossible movie was released in May of 1996. To put this into perspective, Tom Cruise was 33 at that time and now he is 62. Yes, it has been that long and the star still looks eternally young, go figure! If you’d like to catch up on what’s been going on with Ethan Hunt then you can watch Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning and the previous movies in the series now on Paramount Plus.