Mission Impossible 3 – Mission Failed

A few days ago I put up an article where I asked if the jackass antics of Tom Cruise was going to effect the box office performance of Mission Impossible 3. I said it would. I also said it would probably come in with about $40 million on opening weekend. For the record, it got $48 million.

Now lets keep in mind that to ALMOST any other film release, an opening weekend of $48 million is a magnificent showing. ALMOST any other film. Mission Impossible 3 had much higher expectations coming in. Movie Industry analysts pegged the third installment of the franchise to take in upwards of $65+ million.

Keep these other factors in mind:
– Mission impossible 2 made over $57 million on its opening weekend back in 2000… and that with LOWER ticket prices.
ALSO, look at the weak competition that MI:3 just opened against: Hoot, An American Haunting, RV and Stick it (only RV made over $10 million).
ALSO, this was the first major “blockbuster” film release of the summer.
ALSO, this one is getting better reviews than either of the first 2 MI movies.
ALSO, the movie could ride on the coat tails of the recent Oscar win buzz for Hoffman.
ALSO, the film had the 4th largest release of all time showing on over 4000 screens

Yes, all the ingredients for a $65+ million opening weekend were there… except for one sour lemon that got in the mix… Tom Cruise and his off screen tomfoolery that has turned a LOT of film goers off of both him and his movies.

Just before the release of War of the Worlds, I was interviewed by a Florida newspaper about all the Tom Cruise wackiness. The reporter asked me if I thought his antics would hurt WOTW. Here’s what I said:

“I think what we’re going to see is what I call “The Russell Crowe Effect”. Audiences will be turned off by Cruise, but the effect doesn’t happen right away. Our film culture is a pretty forgiving one, so it takes an A list start to be a jerk consistently over a period of time before the backlash is really seen. So no, I don’t think Cruise will negatively effect War of the Worlds all that much, but I do think that if he keeps this pattern of behaviour up, we’re going to see the beginnings of a movie goers revolt against him in his third Mission Impossible flick. We’ll have to wait and see”

The revolt has begun.

Yes, $48 million is a fantastic opening for almost any other film… but even the studio execs with their brave faces are admitting a failure here. This film was positioned to make far more, with far more people seeing it. Everything it needed was there… but so was Cruise… and that kept many away. Viva La Revolution!

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38 thoughts on “Mission Impossible 3 – Mission Failed

  1. Personally, I’ve always found Tom Cruise to be a bit boring…now I cannot stomach him. Gee, he knows it all. If we made him God, maybe the 30,000+ Americans that died by suicide last year would be alive and totally well today.

  2. Actually,i liked the movie very much.Much much better than the second.While in second the action starts only in the second half and everybody knows what is going to happen next this one is different.In the second movie John woo has dragged a lot.The last man-to-man combat,and lots in the first half.He was compromising his mission for an ugly girl(No selection for Ethan?)he luvs.
    In MI:III u cant really guess who is the sub-villian and u cant really guess what will happen next.This movie contains emotions which the other prequels do not contain.The last part of his mission to save the other IMF is an emotional one.In the second part,i liked the villian more than Hunt.But this time the director has made it such that villian looks like a villian itself and do not have the qualities which only a hero should possess(Like the second part villian-He is loving,he is friendly,he have leadership quality and everything a hero should have.The only thing is that he luvs money(everyone luvs money).So those who says will not see this one plz watch this movie.Dont go to see Tom Cruise.But should go to see Ethan Hunt.The write comments.There is no way u dont like this installment.

  3. Bill M hits it on the nose and I think expresses the state of the industry in general. Why see a movie at the theater when you know it will be on DVD in a couple of months.

    Also Hollywood is doing what it has done for the past couple years now. Canceling itself out by releasing big movies every weekend during this time. The only guys who seem to have given themselves a reasonable cushion is XMEN 3. Their release date is far enough from MI3 and Superman Returns to not loose sales to either of them.

    Lets not forget bootleggers. I know they made a chunk this weekend from this film.

    Plus, this is a third installment to a franchise. The chances of a box office gross anywhere near the previous two is unreasonable.

    I also heard from Paramount the projection for the US mind you, was 58 million not 65. At anyrate 48 million is an awesome show of it.

    To Tom’s credit. If ANY other actor had been doing what he was doing. Then opened a third installment to a franchise. I KNOW they would not have faired as well. People who don’t like Cruise right now, often spend most of their time finding fault in celeb’s so they can come on blogs like this and say ‘I told you so!’….to give significance to their otherwise boring lives.

    Fact is. Tom works harder in his field then most people do in theirs.

    I liked MI3 and will see any movie with Tom. Because I know he gives it his all. I like a WORKING A list actor.

    – Jason

  4. Do you ever get the impression that in the most literal sense Tom Cruise doesn’t have a sense of humour? When he’s in a film and he’s supposed to be enjoying himself, he looks like someone who’s studied ‘having fun’ and tried to express it without having experienced it.

    Surely ‘being happy’ is one of the easier things to convey on screen. I think there’s some part of his brain missing. Poor bastard.

  5. In reality what repeat movie was better than the original? tom cruise
    is no different in the movie, and who cares about him jumping up and
    down. No one goes to the theaters anymore because its a rip off. You
    cant enjoy the movie because your so pissed off at the OUTRAGEOUS
    prices in the theater, you just end up renting it on DVD again anyway.

    tony

  6. Hey Zuke! I actually live in Santa Rosa California, but I’m in Kentucky right now working on a documentary. I saw that double-feature at the Judy Drive-In in Mt. Sterling Kentucky. It’s a cool little drive-in.

    They have a ton of classic bumpers that they show before, between and after their features. One is a ten-minute animated Intermission film where each 60 seconds is a cartoon that ends with a number, so it’s like three penguins march across the screen and then it says, “Three minutes left until the end of Intermission!” Another one I’ve seen has Dom DeLuise and Burt Reynolds (c. 1978) talking about what a fabulous value attending motion pictures is for you and your whole family. I’ve been running over there and catching the double-feature pretty much every weekend since I’ve been here in Morehead working.

    Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise. I thought MI:3 was entertaining. He’s an actor, you know? People get caught up in the fact that he’s a freak, but I’ve never really met an actor was wasn’t a freak. They’re essentially models with memorization skills and yet people look to them as a moral compass. Yes, Tom Cruise is a freak. So is Harrison Ford. So is Bruce Willis. So is Brad Pitt. I haven’t met any of those actors, but I’d put a stack of chips on the line that they’re all just as freaky and nutso in their own way as Tom Cruise. Not that Tom isn’t batshit crazy. He’s a loon. But, like all those other guys, he does action movies really well. He runs, jumps and gets angry as well as anyone else running jumping and getting angry in front of a camera. And one day he’ll probably end up turning “serious” and getting an Oscar for some “important” film and all the same people who made fun of Clint Eastwood’s crappy action films and spaghetti westerns will be just as shocked to see an action guy get taken seriously.

    But he’ll still be a freak. ;-)

    Sorry to ramble so long…heh…

  7. R.Jackson –

    Where do you live?? We saw the exact same double feature at the Sunset Drive-In here in San Luis Obispo, CA! Small world?

    I thought MI:3 was good summer entertainment. I liked the gadgets, especially the masks and the magnetic bombs. Unlike Roger Ebert who bitched long and hard about the masks on his TV movie review show. While watching the movie, I kept thinking to myself, “I know he’s a major freak, but damn he’s such a natural fit for these types of techy-action flicks!” Not enough car or motorcycle chases though!

    $65 mil was totally unrealistic, but I think $45 mill is pretty damn good, especially considering box office receipts have been trending down for a while now. (well, except Ice Age) This movie will clean house on DVD sales.

  8. Honestly, every time I see the commercials,
    I think “how scary can Truman Capote be?”
    What’s he going to do?
    Beat Tom with a typewriter?
    Feed him some half decent lines?

    I know that casting Hoffman was listed as a plus
    but I consider it a negative.

    Not that I don’t think he’s a good actor,
    just the opposite.
    He was a little TOO good in Capote,
    I can’t get his character out of my brain.

  9. While I totally understand that many people separate the actor from the man for others it’s not that simple. Tom Cruise has not spent the last year partying and acting like he’s going through a midlife crisis. Instead, he criticsized people for seeking help through drugs and psychiatrists. He was completely irresponsible saying it’s as simple as exercising and taking vitamins. For those reasons and his religious beliefs I think it’s perfectly valid that some people do not wish to support his career further by going to see his movies. I think that on a small scale he has lowered his likeability. Do I think it’ll hurt his career? No. He’ll continue to bring in a crowd and his movies will make enough money to keep the studios happy.

    Myself – I didn’t like him before all his craziness, so with everything that has gone on I think it’s kind of funny and have enjoyed watching the backlash. Yea, I know that’s mean-spirited, but I don’t care…I’m mean that way. ;)

  10. Here in Oklahoma, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations were drawing the crowds on Friday, not the theaters. Not sure you’ve properly isolated all the variables.

  11. Well it does seem that people want to comment on this, I think the the various comments are all valid.

    1.We all miss the old fashioned feel of the shared experience, Is that possible to regain ?, I like to think so.With the onset of digital distribution the iron fist of the big 4 will be slightly weakened. Allowing more diverse and watchable pieces to be provided without the need to provide 50 mill. to cover some num num’s expense account.

    2. People obviously care. It gives me hope that as the existing overburgeoned business model which has grasped all of OUR dream factories becomes less and less profitable,We will be able to turn the corner and begin to make stories and Sights which will be shared again as the number of post here suggest’s is missed.

    Apologies as always for poor grammar.(superman had one weakness too!)

  12. I’m planning to see this movie, because it looks like a pretty entertaining movie.

    The fact that people are staying away from this movie because Tom Cruise is a flake is beyond my limited comprehension. He’s an actor… he’s not my friend, nor my neighbour, nor my family, nor someone who I remotely know. He’s an actor who plays deferent characters in movies. Who cares if he’s a jerk or not? He could be the most wonderful human being on Earth and I wouldn’t give a crap, because I don’t need to know him. If he’s in a good movie, then I’ll go watch it.

  13. MI3 was totally crap. I was watching Tom and half wishing he would say different lines, then wishing on the other hand that he’d just shut up. Hoffman was speakingin that Capote accent and threatening him with meathooks and I was lost…. and the bridge scene, to be honest, looked like a poor mans’ True Lies…

    …seriously…. I HAVENT SEEN IT… i probably wont’ see it until it comes out on DVD… the first MI movie was brilliant. One of my favorite movies but the second one was sooooo dumbed down that I voewd to myself I would never go see another at the theatre…

    …have you seen it yet, John? If it’s good enough for you, i’ll break my vow…otherwise, i will stay away.

    not only because of the Cruiser…but also because the crapfest that was MIII ( get it? MI II? MIII? awwww forget it. i’m bored . go hell)

  14. i will not go to the theater to see a tom cruise movie nor will i rent a tom cruise movie on dvd. i just do not like tom cruise. i really cannot watch him without being completely turned off to the entire movie. the cruise controled hype of the mi3 premieres was absurd.

  15. John,

    I have a slightly different theory. I think MI3 did not do so well for a slightly different reason. I am pretty sure the numbers were slightly down because MI2 just plain and simple sucked. Really MI2 was almost crap. The villain seemed wired the love interest was lame, it just was not that good considering.

    I saw MI3 this last weekend and it was okay. I like the whole Mission Impossible thing, just not the Mission oh my God this is so unbelievably not realistic it sets off all my Bullsh** meters. The helicopter scene SUCKED! In no universe will that helicopter not get blown to a million pieces.

    Just my 2 cents

    Russell.

  16. I agree that Tom’s likely to have had an influence on the Box Office, after all that’s why they cast him right?

    But let’s play devil’s advocte for a minute here…

    Couldn’t it be possible that this is just not as good a story as they thought they had and that enough people weren’t interested in seeing it to gross the projections?

    How can we say that there’s only “one sour lemon in the mix”? That’s like saying it was only Mariah Carey’s performance which brought about the failure of “Glitter”.

  17. I’m kind of with Bill M on this one, while I am sure Cruises antics affected a few people, the fact is I won’t see this on the big screen because the Multiplex cinema experience is expensive and lame, I only go to the Multiplex cinema once or twice a year and now and then I go to the art house cinema to watch World cinema type films. When I was much younger if you missed something on the big screen there was a long wait, now its only a couple of months until you can watch it at home in comfort, pause it to go to the toilet, get some food, stretch your legs as much as you like, not be forced to watch adverts for a film you have already PAID to see and not have to put up with other people being dicks during the film.

    While Cruise has been behaving like a dick, its not like he has become a Neo Nazi and is calling for genocide, his outburst have been more laughable than offensive for the most part, he has not killed anyone he’s just using the much vaunted American right to freedom of speech. If others religious views where going to stop me seeing movies no doubt there would be a long list of people above Tom Cruise whose movies I would be avoiding.

    I am not excited about this but most of the people who have seen it seem to say its good fun, so I will be renting it on DVD and could care less about Tom Cruise being a cock. After all part of being famous is the ability to get away with acting like a prick, while normal people have to behave. If I made 60+ million a year I imagine I would immerse myself in the joys of doing and saying what ever the hell I liked.

  18. I quite liked how they introduced the movie actually…oh well.

    Off the run of “how much movies cost”, check this out, it nearly made me cry after realising something. I went with a bunch of people to the movies (in Central London, do note), but I bought tix/food for one person (two people in total), look at this..

    Tickets Р£21.00
    Nachos/Drink Р£5.80
    Popcorn/Drink Р£6.40

    Add that up, comes to £33.20..thats US $61.71 РCAN $68.63

    ARGH I NEVER LOOKED IT LIKE THAT!!! ARRRRRGH!

  19. I agree with you Darren about the opening teaser – it then takes us most of the film to get back to where we started – but it did sure as hell succeed in catching my attention from the start.
    I did actually enjoy MI3 despite the fact that it only really got going when they introduced Hoffman and carried off that brilliant Venice job, that was very reminiscint of the original TV series. Loved the cameo from Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg too.

    As for the Cruiser, well what is there to be said that hasn’t already been said? A couple of years ago when The Last Samurai was released I’d have called myself a fan of his – a charasmatic screen presence who seemed like a genuinely nice guy.
    Then, he got rid of his PR woman (reputedly the best in the buisness, if I remember correctly) and it all went downhill from there. I try to stay away from celebrity gossip and junk like that (I find it boring and I like to try and respect their privacy), but when you’re hopping around like a retard harping on about utter bullshit it’s hard not to take notice. The posters who say if he just shut the hell up, he’d be the bankable star he used to be are right to say so and I think his antics probably have affected the box office of MI3…

  20. “The only disappointment to me was that Hoffman’s villain didn’t get more screen time and development. He was simply phenomenal every second he was on screen.” -Juho

    Yes! Someone is in agreement with me on this! But Don S- MI:III was anything but ‘rushed’. Yes, it looked that way, but before JJ Abrams, does anyone have the tally of *how many” writers and/or directors took a jab at MI:III?

    But let me also say that Campea’s thoughts on the reason why “MI:III” underperformed is nothing more than a big stinking pile of doggie-doo. Cruise’s off screen antics from LAST YEAR have little to do with the lower take on this film. Did his stunts help sink “War Of The Worlds”? No question there. But “MI:III” is another story.

    In truth, it’s an average film, nothing that great. Slightly better than Woo’s last time around (and John, count your blessings that Thandie isn’t so much as given honorable mention!) but not as good as DePalma’s.

    JJ Abrams spends a lot of time in the film borrowing elements out his TV shows, nodding to other directors (like Brian DePalma) and the cliches in this movie stick out like a sore thumb:

    *Former Gov’t agent comes out of retirement.

    *Gov’t agent has domestic issues/can’t tell loved one what he does or used to do.

    *Loved one wants the truth from Gov’t agent. May be kidnapped and harmed later.

    *Early in the film, there is talk about set-ups and agent comprises, hence, a loose repeat from the last two films: there may or may not be a agent/former agent who became dirty.

    There is one scene which is unforgivable. It is the first one. It has power. It has menace. It spoils many surprises to be seen in the film. This one scene does the following:

    * You know that at one point Davian (Hoffman) was captured and escaped.

    * You know the love intrest is taken hostage

    * You know something happened on a plane, and Davian lived to tell it.

    * You know at least three people have survived to this point.

    * You know there’s some sort of device nicknamed The Rabbit’s Foot.

    The latter knowledge is fine. What is The Rabbit’s Foot? It’s like the first film’s Noc list and the second’s viral bomb. But we get all this other information…and it robs the viewer of these surprises. It does more damage than a studio trailer.

    _Sealer Has Rejected This Mission.
    It still destructs In Five Seconds.

    1
    2
    3
    4

    puff

  21. I think $48M was good. I think $65M was unrealistic, even for M:I-3. Tom Cruise still brought people in for big numbers on a non-holiday, early spring weekend. I would also add that here in New England the weather was beautiful. I wasn’t going to see a matinee of any movie when I could be out playing softball with my daughter or mini-golfing with my kids. (I did both).

    I agree with a lot of what John posted, with exceptions. First, the box office draw of Hoffman (or Abrams for that matter). I think they have little. Second, the number of screens. In the past, more screens meant a lower likelihood of sold out shows and people turned away. A smaller overall theater-going public (for a myriad of reasons) makes sold out shows a thing of the past at most theaters.

  22. ALSO, the two previous movies were released on long weekends, 3 day totals, not 2

    ALSO, Including overseas this is the best opening of the 3 installments, over 70 million overseas (but as you said, figure in the ticket price and yes, less people did actually see this one compared to the other 2)

    ALSO, if you pick and choose your movies based on an actors antics then you are certainly missing out on some great films.

    Bottom Line: this movie grossed 170 million US in 2 days, instead of the expected 190ish, discussing this as anything but a success is retarded.

    Tom Cruise is still money in the bank, making that kind of BO over 20 years into his career puts him on a VERY short list of people who can accomplish that.

    Mission Failed? oh yes Campea, your mission failed. Stop trying to bring down the Cruise!!!!!!!!

    lmao

    nord

  23. I saw it last night, and thought it was much better than either of the previous instalments. Very Alias like plot, and some literally breathtaking action. The audience of about 700 ppl was spellbound. Even my wife who’s known to fall asleep during the most intense action, didn’t sleep a wink.. ;-)

    The only disappointment to me was that Hoffman’s villain didn’t get more screen time and development. He was simply phenomenal every second he was on screen.

    Cruise getting crazy? Nah, it’s just what stars do when they get a little older. They get opinionated and locked up in their lifestyles. Some smash windshields with golf clubs, some gain 200 pounds and eat ice cream. So Cruise gets deeper into Scientology and into younger girls.. let’s face it, by Hollywood standards it’s not so bad..

  24. Despite having no time for Tom Cruise (the “person”) I went along to see M:i:III on Friday night and I gotta say I enjoyed it. Cruise was good, and to be truthful the man is rarely not good in a film. If only he’d just shut his mouth when his lines aren’t scripted, everything would be fine and the flick would DEFINITELY have take in more than $48m.

    You guys think you get ripped off in the States and Canadia for going to the movies?! Check out these prices here in Ireland for when my girlfriend and I go to see a film. The popcorn and drink price quoted isn’t EXACT so I just rounded it off to ‚Ǩ12

    Tickets (2): €18.60 РUS$23.62 РCAN$26.26
    Booking Fee: € 1.00 РUS$ 1.27 РCAN$ 1.41
    Large Popcorn & Drink: €12.00 РUS$15.25 РCAN$16.95

    TOTAL: €31.60 РUS$40.15 РCAN$44.63

    Now THAT’s fuckin expensive shit!

  25. I used to go see 2-3 films a week, too, but there just isn’t that much interesting product hitting the street anymore, IMO. I’m in the middle of the country working on a documentary right now and this is what’s playing at the local multiplex:

    Akeelah and the Bee, An American Haunting, Hoot, Mission: Impossible III, RV, Silent Hill, Stick It, and The Wild.

    So we’ve got two cartoons, a movie about a spelling bee, a movie for teenage girls about gymnastics, a Robin Williams comedy (he should stick to drama ’cause he hasn’t been funny…well, ever), a badly-reviewed horror flick and Tom Cruise running and jumping. Which of those is going to tempt me to drop 10 bucks and a couple of hours of my time?

  26. I agree with Bill M. above. My average of 2-3 films a week is long gone. The only movie I plan on seeing at the theater the rest of this year is Superman Returns.

    I’ve never enjoyed Tom Cruise’s acting, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying War of the Worlds (on DVD), Collateral (on DVD), or MI-1.

    An “A-list” actor neither prevents, or causes, me to go to a theater. It’s all economics….

    Ticket: 2 @ $9.00
    Soda: $3.75 (shared)
    —-
    Total: $21.75

    DVD ~three months later: $19.95

    I’ve made a deal with my kids. I will buy every Disney movie they want to see on DVD the day it comes out, as long as we don’t go to see it at the theater. I save $25 a movie(5 kids).

  27. It’s actually better than the previous MIs. I enjoyed it. $48 million is a fine #. I think the audience could be getting bored of the same “type” of movies. The summer blockbusters that interest me are majority filled with old ideas: XMen, Pirates of the Carr., Superman. There isn’t anything fresh and new anywhere.

    Are we truly out of fresh ideas in movies in all genres?

  28. I’m not a Cruise fan period and I’ll admit that I have even less tolerance for him because of the last year. It wasn’t the rumors or tabloid stories, and it wasn’t even his crazy romance with Katie Holmes. It was him acting like he knows it all and how he belittled others with his “higher knowledge”.

    I still plan to see IM:3 but only because I want to see Hoffman and because JJ Abrams directed it. I don’t know if I’ll see it in the theater or DVD. Likely I’ll watch for DVD.

    On another note: I think that if Cruise calms down and goes back to keeping his private life, private that movie goers will start to forget his craziness and he’ll stay a bankable star.

    I also wonder that since the other two MI movies opened on holiday weekends and this one didn’t if it effects movie totals? People always tend to go the movies more on those weekends.

  29. Mission Impossible was not bad. It was just rushed. Cruise wasn’t bad except he seemed like he didn’t like what he was doing. The bridge scene was done great but could have did better.
    There were times in the movie where Cruise seemed like a superspy, and then times where he seemed like a defenseless civilian. Other than that it was cool. The only thing that made this movie was Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames movie performance. Ving Rhames saved Tom Cruise from destroying this movie.
    8.9/10

  30. I hope Cruise will just disappear. His ego has got to hurt right now. Crazy mofo.

    That said, I did see M:I-3 (because of J.J. Abrams and Hoffman, mostly). I really liked it (8/10). It’s no doubt the best M:I movie made.

  31. I have no intentions of going to see MI:III.

    It has nothing whatsover to do with Tom Cruise. I do not ‘boycot’ movies becuase the stars are jerks. If so, I would have missed out on a great many movies that I might never have enjoyed.

    What you, and many other reporters are not mentioning, are the REAL factors why movie attendance is down.

    MI:III is a movie that I would normally go to see. I want to see it. I will be the first in line to get the DVD.

    Why should I go see the movie? By the time tickets are bought for my wife and sons I have bought the DVD two times over. All I have missed is standing in a crowded line, inside a crowded theater,listening to cell phones, and my fellow patrons numerous comments, and countless minutes of mindless ads thrown at me before the film.

    It has come to the poinmt where the DVD release means mereley having to wait a couple of months to have the pleasure of watching the movie in the confines and comfort of my home ALONG with lots of cool background and commentary.

    I do not know if there are even any films coming out that will get me back in theater now and there are a lot I would nornally see. Five years ago I went to the movies almost once a week. The last film I saw was King Kong. It makes no sense for me to go anymore the way things are now and it has NOTHING to do with stars that are jerks.

  32. I saw it at a drive-in double-feature with Failure to Launch. Heh…at a place where their headliner is almost always a second-run flick. There must have been an unbelievable number of prints struck. I have this mental image of a fleet of panel trucks with MI3 logos on the side driving from theater to theater going, “C’mon! Show the flick! You’ve got at least one screen you can spare! I have it on good authority that there’s a Thetan reward in it for all who comply…”

  33. Heh I still saw it, Tom Cruise has acted like a dick the past year or so, but what people do outside the films really doesn’t interest me in the slightest. Though it appears to have an affect on others as the figures show.

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