Box Office: Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning lands May 30 China release amid country's thawing trade tensions with US; check MI 7's performance
Paramount Pictures' Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning has officially secured a theatrical release date in China, with the eighth installment in the franchise set to hit screens on May 30, just one week after its North American debut. The announcement comes after a period of uncertainty during which China's Film Administration pledged to moderately reduce the number of U.S. films allowed in the country in response to President Donald Trump's steep 145 percent tariffs on Chinese imports.
The release clearance comes amid a thaw in U.S. and China trade tensions following negotiations in Geneva, where both nations agreed to suspend and roll back certain tariffs, creating a more favorable environment for pop culture exchange. The new agreements appear to have opened the door for high-profile U.S. titles, with The Final Reckoning joining Disney's Thunderbolts, The Accountant 2 (May 16), Lilo & Stitch (May 23), and How to Train Your Dragon (June 13) on China's upcoming Hollywood release slate.
Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning had its world premiere in Tokyo on May 5 and was screened out of competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on May 14. The action-packed sequel stars Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett, with returning director Christopher McQuarrie. Originally titled Dead Reckoning Part Two, the film was retitled in November 2024 and is now staged as the final chapter in Ethan Hunt's decades-spanning journey.
Filmed across the UK, Malta, South Africa, and Norway, the movie faced production delays due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. It resumed in early 2024 and wrapped in November of the same year. With a reported budget of USD 300 to USD 400 million, Final Reckoning ranks as one of the most expensive films ever made. That makes it imperative for the film to earn north of USD 1 billion to be considered a success, something that would have been challenging without screens in the world's second-largest theatrical market.
China contributed USD 28.8 million to Dead Reckoning's total gross in 2023, about 8.5 percent of its global revenue. With improved diplomatic ties and Cruise's enduring popularity in the region, The Final Reckoning is expected to outperform its predecessor and add significant momentum to Paramount's international box office run.
As global interest builds, all eyes are on whether Ethan Hunt's last outing as the iconic IMF agent can achieve franchise-best numbers.
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