The Mission: Impossible movies are known for their larger-than-life action sequence and big budgets. The franchise experienced a considerable popularity boost in the early 2010s, but it no longer appears to be the audience draw it once was, with its last two installments struggling to recoup their investment. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning made $571 million, a disappointing result given its reported $291 million budget.
The latest (and, apparently, last) installment in the franchise, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning brought in $598 million against a staggering $400 million budget. Indeed, the brand's financial viability has been put into question in recent years. The movie's finances are now being reported to have caused a rift between franchise star Tom Cruise and Paramount CEO David Ellison. The Hollywood Reporter published a report on Paramount's work culture. Near the end of the story, the trade revealed a reported conflict between the two.
Per THR, during a meeting regarding the budget for the final two Mission: Impossible films (initially billed as a Part 1 and a Part 2), Cruise requested an extra "tens of millions of dollars" for production. In response, Ellison reportedly suggested him to "find some of the money on his own." This is said to have upset the actor; so much so, that he reportedly, "wouldn't attend any production or marketing meetings if Ellison was in the room."
Ultimately, it's said the company acquiesced to his ask, and provided him with the extra funds. According to THR's Skydance sources, though, there was no conflict between Cruise and Ellison. While the rift was put into question, it looks like Cruise and Ellison have a better working relationship now, as THR stated the actor visited Paramount Pictures to "pay his respects to the new leadership."
The Mission: Impossible star has two major projects in the pipeline. The first one of such projects is Top Gun 3, which is entirely dependent on Paramount. The film might be an easy investment, given Top Gun: Maverick's astounding $1.4 billion box office haul. The second one is a much tougher ask. The actor-producer has been working on Deeper, an ambitious sea-based disaster film.
Cruise initially had the $275 project—expected to be directed by Doug Liman and co-starring Ana de Armas—at Warner Bros. Puck reported in July (via World of Reel), however, that the company refused to go higher than $230 million for the film. This is said to have prompted the actor to shop it to other studios. Universal seemed like a prospective buyer at the time, but as The Hollywood Reporter revealed in its article about Paramount's work culture, it, too, passed on it.
That has left Paramount Skydance as perhaps the only major studio (outside of Netflix or Disney) capable of making the film a reality. As such, the article seems to imply Cruise needs a good working relationship with Ellison and the leadership team at the newly merged Paramount Skydance.
Regarding the future of Mission: Impossible, it looks like the franchise will remain dormant for now. Speaking to THR at the premiere of Final Reckoning, Cruise was posed the possibility of there being more Mission: Impossible films down the line. The actor stated: "It's not called 'Final' for nothing."