This is about to be the summer of Tom Cruise — again
- Tom Cruise looks like he's headed for another summer on top at the box office.
- "Mission: Impossible 7" was just given a release date in China.
Tom Cruise had a pretty great 2022, with a top-grossing film, a best picture nomination at the Oscars, and a slew of good press. And it looks like 2023 is going to be another mission accomplished for Ethan Hunt.
"Mission: Impossible 7 — Dead Reckoning: Part One," which comes out next month, just got some good news: It will be released in China.
Experts have already predicted that the upcoming installment of the "Mission Impossible" franchise will do well — one even suggested it may gross over $1 billion. Opening in China, a lucrative market, could add another $100 million, if not more, to the film's box office gross — and millions to Cruise's bank account.
In recent years, China has cracked down on the films it allows past its strict censure laws. "Thor: Love and Thunder" was reportedly not given a China opening due to its LGBTQ themes, for example, and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" was denied entry because a newspaper kiosk in the film showed a copy of The Epoch Times, which is critical of the Chinese government.
While those films that have been granted releases aren't doing quite as well in the Middle Kingdom as Hollywood films once did, there is still money to be made.
"Avatar 2" became the biggest film of 2022, propelled to the top, in part, by the $245 million it grossed in China. "Jurassic World: Dominion" grossed $158 million there last year.
The "Mission Impossible" series has fared well in China before. "Mission: Impossible 6 — Fallout" grossed $181 million in China in 2018. The franchise has grossed more than $430 million in the country, in total.
But this isn't just good for "Mission Impossible" — it will also boost Cruise's payday, which is likely linked to the film's performance.
He reportedly earned more than $100 million from "Top Gun: Maverick," which grossed nearly $1.5 billion without a China release.
His deal for the film was the type only offered to the biggest stars: An impressive — but not over-the-top — upfront payment of $13 million, along with a percentage of movie's the first-dollar gross and future home-entertainment sales, according to Variety. It's likely his "Mission Impossible" deal is structured similarly.
That "first-dollar" bit is rare: It means Cruise got a slice of the gross box office pie. Most actors only get a cut of a film's earnings after a studio breaks even. But for Cruise, every dollar — or Yuan — that the films brings in means more money to his pocket.
A representative for Cruise did not immediately reply to Insider's request for comment. But if we know anything about the A-lister, whether he's playing Maverick or Hunt, he rarely lets people — or himself — down.