Tom Cruise may be 62, but he’s still flying higher than ever. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning debuted with a franchise-record $63.0 million domestic opening, proving that Ethan Hunt still knows how to deliver action worth the price of admission—even when AMC is charging $28 a seat.
Paired with Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, which pulled in a staggering $145.5 million, the holiday weekend shattered records with a combined $262 million at the domestic box office, the highest Memorial Day three-day total in history.
Cruise’s eighth outing as IMF agent Ethan Hunt reunites him with director and longtime collaborator Christopher McQuarrie for what is billed as the final installment, though as the ending hints, “final” may be up for debate. After retrieving the key to a malevolent AI known as the Entity, Ethan is coerced into diving to the bottom of the ocean to retrieve a core module from a sunken Russian submarine.
It’s a globetrotting, logic-defying, and yes, emotionally resonant epic that combines nuclear doomsday tension with character callbacks, plane-to-plane combat, and a sincere goodbye to longtime team members.
The Cruise Factor
With a price tag of $400 million, Final Reckoning is one of the most expensive films ever made. Cruise, who once again does his own stunts (including an underwater sequence and a mid-air biplane fight), insists on practical effects wherever possible. It’s a gamble, but it pays off. From underwater submarine thrills to the final sky-high dogfight, the film is committed to delivering spectacle.
Chart: Cruise Comparison
| Film | Domestic Opening ($M) | Worldwide Total ($B) | Production Budget ($M) | RT Critics Score (%) | RT Audience Score (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) | 63.0 | TBD | 400 | 80 | 90 |
| Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) | 61.2 | 0.824 | 178 | 98 | 89 |
| Top Gun: Maverick (2022) | 126.7 | 1.496 | 170 | 96 | 99 |
Critics React
While the film has an 80% critics score and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, not every outlet was smitten. RogerEbert.com called the first hour “repetitive and pretentious,” and the Houston Chronicle dismissed it as “nearly three hours of your life you won’t get back.” But for fans and thrill-seekers, the film delivers exactly what it promises—and then some.
Holiday Weekend Winners
The holiday wasn’t just good to Cruise. Disney’s Lilo & Stitch roared to $145.5M and was met with a 94% audience score despite mixed critical reception (68%). With a modest $60M production budget, it has already cleared profitability in just three days.
Meanwhile, Final Destination: Bloodlines grabbed $19.7M in its second weekend and reached a 10-day domestic total of $89.8M, making it the highest-grossing entry in its franchise.
| Film | Weekend Gross ($M) | Domestic Total ($M) | RT Critics | RT Audience |
| Lilo & Stitch (2025) | 145.5 | 145.5 (opening) | 68% | 94% |
| Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning | 63.0 | 63.0 (opening) | 80% | 90% |
| Final Destination: Bloodlines | 19.7 | 89.8 (10-day total) | 92% | 88% |
| Thunderbolts* | 9.2 | 171.4 (24-day total) | 88% | 93% |
| Sinners | 8.8 | 256.6 (45-day total) | 97% | 96% |
Whether this is truly the final chapter or just another impossible mission, Cruise and McQuarrie have created a fitting, heartfelt, and adrenaline-soaked entry that honors the legacy while launching it into the stratosphere. And hey—if this is how Cruise wants to spend his 60s, we’re all in.
REELated:
Box Office reignited: Final Destination: Bloodlines scares up $51m
