Tom Cruise is facing another box office delay, now that Paramount Pictures has announced that the eighth installment of “Mission: Impossible” is being pushed back by one year.
The ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike halted production, forcing the studio to move the release date from June 28, 2024, to May 23, 2025.
It’s not the first time Cruise has faced production problems on his films, especially with the action-packed “Mission: Impossible” franchise, where Cruise stars and performs his own stunts as agent Ethan Hunt.
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Production came to a grinding halt on “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” in 2017 when Cruise broke his ankle while performing a stunt where he jumped between buildings. He got the shot, of course, and went back to filming despite not being fully healed.
Director Christopher McQuarrie told Empire in 2017 that the stunt never involved Cruise successfully making the jump and landing on the roof of the second building.
“He was always supposed to slam into the side of the building. That’s what gives the stunt its energy,” McQuarrie told Empire in August 2017. “On the fourth try, he hit the building at a slightly different angle, and he broke his ankle.”
While on “The Graham Norton Show,” Cruise and the rest of the “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” cast watched footage of the actor’s accident, with Norton pointing out that Cruise continued acting and finished the scene even after the break.
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“I didn’t want to do it again,” Cruise said. “I knew instantly it was broken, and I just run past camera. We got the shot, it’s in the movie. That profile shot, both the shots are in the movie. . . . I just went, I said, ‘Sorry guys, it’s broken. Take me to the hospital, it’s broken. That’s a wrap.’ The crew got on the phone and made their vacation arrangements.”
The following installment (“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One) was shut down twice due to the pandemic. In addition, Cruise faced scrutiny for leaked audio where he chastised crew members for not adhering to social distancing rules.
Forbes reported that Cruise paid $700,000 for the cast and crew to live on cruise ships, essentially creating a safe environment for the team to work without risking a COVID-19 outbreak.
“Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” earned $567.5 million worldwide and received some of the best reviews in the franchise’s 27-year history.
“Top Gun: Maverick” also faced multiple setbacks due to the pandemic, but it ultimately landed in the right gear as Cruise’s highest-grossing film and the second-highest-grossing movie in 2022 with $1.4 billion worldwide.
The “Risky Business” star reflected on his career and his decision to perform all of his own stunts in his action movies.
“I am a very physical actor, and I love doing them,” Cruise said during an appearance on “The Graham Norton Show.” “I study and train and take a lot of time figuring it all out. I have broken a lot of bones.”
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“The first time of any stunt is nerve-wracking, but it’s also exhilarating. I have been told a few times during shooting a stunt to stop smiling.”
Cruise revealed last year that “Top Gun: Maverick” would “never” make its theatrical debut on a streaming network despite years of setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Maverick” was initially supposed to be released in July 2019 through Paramount Pictures, but it was postponed in August 2018 “to allow the production to work out all the complex flight sequences,” according to Deadline.
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When asked whether he felt pressure to release the film in any capacity on a streaming network, Cruise assured the audience at the Cannes Film Festival, “That was not going to happen ever. That was never going to happen,” according to excerpts published by The Hollywood Reporter,
He talked about insisting on performing his own stunts despite the obvious safety risks at hand: “No one asked Gene Kelly, ‘Why do you dance? Why do you do your own dancing?'”
“Maverick” became Paramount Pictures’ biggest hit, grossing a worldwide total of $1.488 billion. The Oscar-nominated film also marked Cruise’s personal best when it crossed the $800 million mark in June 2022.