Box Office: Soaring demand for The Final Reckoning prompts BFI IMAX to add 9am shows, delay How to Train Your Dragon debut

Pink Villa

2 days ago

Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is proving to be an IMAX sensation in the UK, particularly at the iconic BFI IMAX in London. With demand surging and nearly all shows sold out, the cinema has opened additional 9 a.m. screenings. In an unprecedented move, it has also delayed the debut of How to Train Your Dragon from June 6 to 9, allowing The Final Reckoning to dominate the premium screen for an extended three-day window.
Despite ticket prices ranging between approximately USD 32.30 to 37.70 and being non-refundable, fans are still showing up in large numbers, turning the film into an IMAX phenomenon, something Dead Reckoning never achieved during the Barbenheimer-dominated summer of 2023.
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, The Final Reckoning, for those uninitiated, is the eighth installment in the long-running Mission: Impossible series and serves as a direct sequel to Dead Reckoning Part One. Cruise reprises his iconic role as Ethan Hunt, alongside Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett. This time, the Impossible Mission Force faces off against a rogue artificial intelligence known as The Entity, as it threatens to wreak global havoc.
The film's production journey was ambitious, lengthy, and expensive. Originally intended to be shot back-to-back with its predecessor, production was disrupted by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and eventually wrapped in late 2024. Filming took place across several countries, including England, Malta, South Africa, and Norway. With a reported budget of USD 300 to 400 million, it ranks among the most expensive films ever made.
The Final Reckoning premiered in Tokyo on May 5 and later screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was released worldwide on May 23 to critical acclaim and has grossed USD 227.1 million globally, ranking as the eighth highest-grossing film of the year so far. It also recorded the franchise's biggest opening weekend to date.
To promote the film, Tom Cruise made headlines in early May when he climbed to the roof of the BFI IMAX. In a fitting honor, he was also awarded the prestigious BFI Fellowship, solidifying his last of the Hollywood stars status both on and off screen.