Box Office: Mission Impossible 8 carries USD 400M budget; Here's how much it needs to break even

With a staggering USD 400M budget, Mission Impossible 8 sets its sights on a massive global haul. Here's how much the Tom Cruise starrer needs to justify its hefty price tag.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 28, 2025 | 01:15 PM IST | 22.9K

Picture Courtesy: Paramount Pictures

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, commonly referred to as MI8, boasts an eye-watering budget of USD 400 million, making it the fourth most expensive film ever made. It sits below Star Wars: The Force Awakens (USD 447 million), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (USD 432 million), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (USD 416 million).

Per industry theories, the Tom Cruise starrer had to navigate two labor strikes in Hollywood, a global pandemic, two national elections, and multiple reshoots and rewrites, all of which ballooned its price tag to the aforementioned hefty number. With all the damage done, basic estimates suggest MI8 will need to earn at least USD 850 million worldwide to break even. Though the target is ambitious, it is not entirely out of reach.

The highest-grossing installment in the franchise so far remains Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which earned USD 791 million globally in 2018. Its successor, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, fell short of expectations, grossing only a little over USD 550 million worldwide. The underperformance of the latter raised questions about franchise fatigue and whether MI8 can surpass the necessary benchmark, but here’s why we think the makers and franchise fans need not worry.

To begin with, there is immense pent-up demand for the final chapter of the longstanding series, which will certainly reflect in its earnings when it comes out. Cruise, 62, has redefined the action genre with his daring stunts and has consistently delivered hits that exceeded expectations—this time is expected to be no different.

As it stands, the MI8 creators are targeting a USD 1 billion global haul, so the USD 850 million shouldn’t be bothering them at this point.

Ultimately, though, the film’s success will come down to critical acclaim and audience word of mouth—more about which we will get to know closer to MI8’s May 28 release. Mind you, this is a competitive window, given that many summer offerings will be running in theaters then, treating audiences with multiple options to choose from.

Mission: Impossible 8 is directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who is also attached to the project as a writer alongside Erik Jendresen.