Tom Cruise’s latest installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, “Dead Reckoning,” is facing tough competition at the box office from the releases of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” In its second weekend, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” experienced a 64% drop, earning $19.5 million (£15 million) in comparison to its competitors.
Directed by Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan respectively, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” had a remarkable weekend at the US box office, making it the fourth-biggest of all time. For the first time ever, one movie opened to $100 million or more with “Barbie” earning $155 million (£120 million), while “Oppenheimer” brought in $80.5 million (£62.5 million).
Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the iconic Mattel dolls, “Barbie” broke the opening weekend record for a female director. The previous record was held by Patty Jenkins’ 2017 film “Wonder Woman” with a domestic opening of $103.3 million (£80.3 million).
Despite the tough competition, “Dead Reckoning” currently holds a higher critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, with 96%. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” received ratings of 90% and 94%, respectively.
During a recent interview with The Independent, Christopher Nolan described “Oppenheimer” as the biggest film he has ever made. Lead actor Cillian Murphy expressed his discomfort watching the film due to seeing his face projected on the screen, but acknowledged that it is meant to be watched with an audience.
Historically, Mission: Impossible movies thrive at the foreign box office, and “Dead Reckoning” continues this trend. The film collected an additional $55 million (£42.7 million) from 72 markets in its second weekend, reaching a foreign total of $252.1 million (£195.8 million).
Industry sources commenting on the box office performances noted that “Barbenheimer” diverted potential viewers from “MI7,” while “Oppenheimer” attracted older male audiences away from “Dead Reckoning.” Additionally, an unexpected competitor, “Sound of Freedom,” also posed a challenge.
“Sound of Freedom” is an action movie starring Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard, a former government agent on a mission to rescue children from sex traffickers in Colombia.
To read more about the movies, you can check out The Independent’s four-star review of “MI7,” five-star review of “Barbie,” and four-star review of “Oppenheimer.”
For live updates on the releases of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” you can follow the coverage here.