by Anthony D’Alessandro
EXCLUSIVE: Paramount/Skydance’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout is having a great Thursday night, and we’re hearing that the sixthquel is grossing around $5M-plus in previews tonight, running well ahead of the $4M Thursday night of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation three years ago.
West coast shows are starting soon at 7PM, so this number could go higher. Fallout has the best reviews of all the Mission: Impossible movies with 98% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. A score like that is just pure gold for any major studio when launching a four-quad event title. Fandango reported earlier this week that Fallout is Tom Cruise’s bestselling film in regards to advance tickets. It’s also outstripping all the Jason Bourne movies.
Rogue Nation continued on to post a $20.3M Friday, a Saturday of $19.65M and final weekend of $55.5M at 3,956 theaters, making it the second-best opening for the Mission: Impossible franchise. Fallout, playing at 4,350 venues tomorrow, is the last of summer’s blockbuster openings before New Line/Warner Bros’ The Nun leads us into the fall on Sept. 7. A lot of August’s business is counting on Fallout. Paramount was projecting $50M earlier in the week for Fallout‘s start, and based on the current Thursday night estimate the Tom Cruise movie, of course, is looking to best Rogue Nation. Anything north of $57.8M this weekend, which was the FSS of Mission: Impossible II‘s six-day Memorial Day opening, sets a new opening record for the M:I series.
Jason Bourne made $4.3M in Thursday night previews two years ago off 7 PM shows at 2,928 theaters before posting a $59.2M opening.
As our fine print always reads these are very early estimates and they do not come from Paramount, but our own sources.
Warner Bros. is also previewing Teen Titans Go! To the Movies tonight.
