‘Mission: Impossible 7’ Drops 20 Minutes on a Revved-Up CinemaCon Crowd

More than possible, it is highly probable that “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” is going to kick ass. And it’s going to kick that ass two days earlier. Paramount Pictures moved up its release by two days: “M:I7” will now pack theaters, presumably, starting July 12.

CinemaCon attendees, like yours truly, were treated to the “not-quite-finished” trailer for “M:I7” on Thursday during Paramount Pictures’ morning presentation. And then we got 20 minutes of the surefire blockbuster; it was not the first 20 minutes, we were specifically told. The footage included a series of pretty epic car chases (and a few big laughs), with Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise both taking turns behind the wheel.

But don’t just take our word — or even the Caesar’s Palace Colosseum attendees’ subsequent applause — for how good it looks. Paramount Global chief Bob Bakish said last month, after test screenings for “M:I7” first got underway, the first audience to see it “lost their mind.” At the time, Bakish himself had “seen a bunch of it,” and said “the movie is insane. It’s like a complete thrill ride. And Tom, he’s very good.”

Yeah, that kid Cruise might just make it. Bakish’s only constructive criticism? “MI:7,” at the time, was “still too long” and needed to be edited down. (The last entry, “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” clocked in at 147 minutes, making it the longest of the franchise.)

Otherwise, it’s awesome. Of course, we acknowledge here that you probably shouldn’t take Bob’s word for how good a Paramount movie is either.

In July, Cruise reprises his role as secret agent Ethan Hunt for the first part of the franchise finale. Other returning stars include Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Vanessa Kirby. New cast members include Atwell and Pom Klementieff.

Production for “Dead Reckoning — Part One” was repeatedly halted by the pandemic but eventually wrapped in September 2021. Cruise allegedly took legal action to reach an agreement with Paramount for “Dead Reckoning” to guarantee a theatrical release longer than the initially-planned 45-day window (ahead of a Paramount+ launch).

The “Mission Impossible” franchise has proven to be a goldmine for Paramount, with 2018’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” as the highest-grossing movie of the series, accumulating $791.6 million worldwide. The “Mission: Impossible” franchise as a whole has grossed over $3.5 billion for Paramount.

One year ago, at the 2022 CinemaCon, Paramount’s president Brian Robbins called the “M:I” series “the pinnacle of filmmaking excellence,” adding: “And we have no doubt that this new picture will set the bar even higher.”

The budget reportedly ballooned upwards of $290 million during production, with additional funds allocated to finish post-production on the action epic. Cruise said this summer’s surefire blockbuster includes the most dangerous stunt of his career.

“Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” flies into theaters on July 12. “Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part Two” is already set for a June 28, 2024 release date. (That movie is not yet finished production.)