The incomparable Tom Cruise is the epitome of a mega Hollywood star. There aren’t enough cliches you can use when describing the movie legend. His latest film was 2023’s Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1. It was set to be his biggest Mission Impossible release to date. The film received rave reviews from critics as well as fans. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 was to be followed by 2024’s Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part II. Barbenheimer, The SAG-AFTRA strike and Scientology had other ideas. Well, maybe not Scientology, but we can judge if the church affected Mission Impossible 8’s 2024 release later.
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New Release, New Name, Same Impossible Mission
Reports in Variety dropped a bombshell when it announced that Cruise and Paramount Pictures’ highly anticipated Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part II would be delayed from its original date of June 28, 2024, to its new spot on May 23, 2025. Variety suggested that the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike halted production on Mission Impossible 8 and caused the delay. The report also suggests that the strike will claim more upcoming summer releases if the strike continues.
The delay caused by the strike is a veritable reason for the new release date. What is peculiar, though, is that Paramount has announced that the sequel will arrive with a new name; they will be dropping the second half of the title, previously Dead Reckoning Part II. Variety reports that the sequel will still directly follow the events of Dead Reckoning Part I.
Tom Cruise and Paramount may also be tinkering with Mission Impossible 8 more than they would have anticipated. Mission Impossible 7: Dead Reckoning suffered a little at the global box office, reaching a slightly underwhelming $567 million.
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In isolation, those box office numbers don’t look too bad, but compared with the film’s production budget, the expenses for Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning climbed to a staggering $290 million; add in another $100 million for marketing and we’re looking at close to $400 million overall. For a film to be successful, the rule of thumb applies, meaning the production and marketing budget has to be doubled for it to be considered a success. Running those factors into the equation, it becomes clear Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning came short at the box office.
The release of Barbie and Oppenheimer may have severely hampered the film’s financial success. These two runaway hits swallowed much of the summer’s revenue. Mission Impossible’s IMAX windows were also curtailed by Oppenheimer, which occupied all IMAX screens upon release, leaving Mission Impossible with only one week of IMAX screen time.
Scientology
Floating around all the latest Mission Impossible news is a bizarre rumour that Tom Cruise has been distancing himself from the church of Scientology, as reported by news outlets like TheThings. The star has been a member of the controversial church since he was introduced to it by his first wife, Mimi Rogers, in the mid-80s, according to Business Insider. Alongside John Travolta, Cruise is one of the church’s most prominent members.
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The Mirror reported that Tom Cruise seems to be distancing himself from the Scientology church. They report that he was primarily based in England these last few years due to production for Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning. The report also stated that the actor had stopped visiting the Scientology headquarters in East Grinstead, sparking speculation he had quit the religion. The Mirror also suggested that perhaps the star was attending the church’s London headquarters but could not confirm whether he did change locations.
Scientology in Hollywood
Besides Cruise, the church had other Hollywood stars and celebrities as members like Kirsty Alley, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, Danny Masterson and Leah Remini. Remini famously left the church in 2013. She joined the church when she was a child in the 70s. The King of Queens star is taking legal action against the church and its leader, David Miscavige, for harassment and defamation, according to a report by BBC News.
Leah Remini is one of the most outspoken critics of the church. She is also one of the most prominent celebrities who have left the church in recent years. The church has suffered a wave of negative media press combined with many celebrity members like Remini leaving its ranks.
The most recent damaging media scandal involving the church involves That 70s Show star Danny Masterson. The actor was recently found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to 30 years in prison, as reported by The New York Times. Masterson was reportedly a member of the church of Scientology. The media, as well as former Scientologists like Remini, have accused the church of helping to cover up Masterson’s crimes for two decades.
Although the rumours that Tom is distancing himself from the church keep popping up, the Top Gun star has made no official announcement. However, these and other scandals may be the reason for Tom quietly distancing himself from the church. Scientology has taken a lot of heat over the years, with stars like Remini doing much to tarnish its image in public. Perhaps Cruise feels associating himself with the church will hurt his public image and negatively affect his film career.
TL;DR
- Mission Impossible 8 has been delayed until 2025.
- The SAG-AFTRA strike and Barbenheimer are possible reasons for the delay.
- A poorer-than-expected box office for Mission Impossible 7 also affected the franchise.
- A rumour is percolating that Tom Cruise is distancing himself from Scientology.
