Tom Cruise isn’t having a great time this summer, even though as per Steven Spielberg, he saved theatrical distribution in 2022 with Top Gun 2, which grossed $1.4 billion worldwide. In 2023, he is bringing Mission Impossible- Dead Reckoning: Part One to theaters globally. But unlike in 2022, he is facing a few problems.

The trouble is that, whereas 2022’s summer season didn’t have any major releases that could give Top Gun 2 a run for its money, the same isn’t true for this year. The film that Cruise is having the most trouble with is Oppenheimer, and now to make matters worse, Mission Impossible 8 had to stop filming.

Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible 8 In Trouble, Stops Production

Tom Cruise fighting Isai Morales in Mission Impossible 7

Mission Impossible- Dead Reckoning: Part 2 will continue the story from Part 1, but it has recently run into production troubles and had to suspend production. As per Slash Flim, Tom Cruise’s next film, which is 40% shot, had to stop filming due to the ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America.

Christopher McQuarrie, the director and writer of the film said:

“It’s unrelenting. Behind each tsunami is another tsunami. We live in a state of 24-hour tsunami awareness. That’s just what we do.”

Tom Cruise

This isn’t the first time Mission Impossible 8 is being delayed. Parts 7 and 8 suffered heavy delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, Mission Impossible- Dead Reckoning: Part 1 finished filming in April 2023 for the June 2023 release. But the situation is probably not going to get better soon, because, on the other side, Tom Cruise is fighting Christopher Nolan for IMAX screens.

Tom Cruise Wrestling With Christopher Nolan For IMAX Screens

Christopher Nolan

Across the Spider-Verse, Barbie, The Flash, and more are going to be fighting for box office money with Mission Impossible 7. But it looks like Tom Cruise is only worried about Oppenheimer since Christopher Nolan’s film is said to be taking up all the IMAX screens.

Since Dead Reckoning Part One will release on July 12 and Oppenheimer will follow on July 21, this means that Cruise’s film will only get 9 exclusive days to play in IMAX before Nolan’s film takes over for three weeks.

Tom Cruise

The Top Gun actor has been trying to convince distributors about the unfair situation and has even shown his film to them in an effort to secure more screens for Mission Impossible 7. As of now, there have been no reports of any changes being made.

However, if Oppenheimer underperforms, Cruise might get lucky. So right now, the box office performance of the films will determine who gets more IMAX screens in the long run.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One will be released on July 12, 2023. Currently, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two is slated for a June 28, 2024 release date.

Source: Slash Film