Tom Cruise Returns to Cannes With Another Thrill Ride in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’
Tom Cruise last visited Cannes in 2022, where he was honored with a surprise Palme d’Or and brought star power to the festival with the launch of Top Gun: Maverick. Fighter jets streaked across the sky, Cruise—making his first appearance at the festival in 30 years—flashed his signature smile, and Maverick went on to soar past the $1 billion mark at the global box office.
Who benefited more from that moment—the festival or Cruise? It’s irrelevant. The combination worked so well that both parties have essentially repeated the spectacle.
On Wednesday evening, Cruise once again climbed the iconic steps of the Palais des Festivals for the red carpet premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. As the cast posed for cameras, a live orchestra performed Lalo Schifrin’s classic theme, Cruise beamed his trademark grin, and the atmosphere echoed Jerry Maguire’s famous line: “Show me the money.”
The latest Mission: Impossible entry leans heavily on the franchise’s 30-year legacy and received a warm reception from the Cannes audience. Inside the Grand Théâtre Lumière, applause broke out throughout the film for Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, returning co-stars Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames, and newcomers like Hayley Atwell.
As the credits rolled to sustained applause, director Christopher McQuarrie took the stage, sharing a personal note about growing up as a misfit with an overactive imagination. “I got to grow up and have my very own action figure—who’s willing to do almost anything I can imagine,” he said, gesturing toward Cruise.
He added, “I’m grateful for your support, your friendship, your unwavering dedication to the craft, and above all, your artistry.” McQuarrie has now directed four Mission: Impossible films, forming a close creative bond with Cruise.
Cruise praised McQuarrie for pushing the franchise’s boundaries and hinted at future collaborations on other types of films. His comments left the question of whether The Final Reckoning is truly the franchise’s last chapter still unanswered—something the film’s 165-minute runtime also leaves unclear.
Shot across locations in the UK, South Africa, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, Final Reckoning continues from where 2023’s Dead Reckoning left off. Hunt is once again trying to destroy The Entity, a powerful AI threat. The stakes are higher than ever, possibly the most dangerous scenario yet for the IMF team.
The movie opens with a dialogue-heavy, somewhat repetitive first act that tries to build its world but can feel cumbersome. However, once the action kicks in, the film delivers breathtaking sequences—especially a death-defying biplane stunt and a chilling deep-sea diving scene.
Cruise remains unmatched in his commitment to cinematic spectacle. McQuarrie keeps pace with him, delivering smart, energetic direction and letting the action speak when the narrative lags.
Despite a strong reception at Cannes, Final Reckoning faces commercial pressure. With a reported $400 million budget, Paramount is betting big—especially after Dead Reckoning underperformed compared to previous installments, grossing $571 million worldwide against the franchise high of $792 million for Fallout in 2018. That said, Dead Reckoning had to contend with the box office juggernaut of Barbenheimer, something Final Reckoning seems to have avoided.
Will The Final Reckoning be the next Maverick in terms of critical and commercial success? Paramount is likely more invested in that outcome than Cannes or McQuarrie. For the festival, they got their A-list star; for the director, he got to play with his favorite “action figure” one more time.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14 and will be released in theaters on May 23.
