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J.J. Abrams Completes His Mission

Mission Impossible III opened this past weekend with a U.S. take of $48.025 million and a European take of over $70 million, which is a great deal of money. But all the headlines are blaring about what a "disappointment" the box office take was, because it opened in the U.S. about $10 million less than MI:2 did. The New York Times weighs in:

Paramount Pictures and its leading star, Tom Cruise, failed to live up to expectations this weekend when "Mission: Impossible III" opened to weak numbers at the domestic box office despite a barrage of public appearances by Mr. Cruise to promote the film.

The poor opening followed nearly a year of public mocking of Mr. Cruise, Hollywood's most reliable star and the centerpiece of Paramount's biggest franchise, across the pop culture landscape — by Internet bloggers and late-night comedians and constantly on tabloid covers — after his public, over-the-top wooing of the actress Katie Holmes and his outspoken remarks against psychiatry and antidepressant medications last year.

Opening in 4,054 theaters, "Mission: Impossible III" had estimated ticket sales of $48 million for the weekend, according to Exhibitor Relations, almost $10 million less than the second "Mission: Impossible" movie in 2000, which opened in 385 fewer theaters and at lower ticket prices. Based on market research, the film had been expected to reach about $65 million at the box office.

Many in Hollywood had been watching expectantly to see if the negative publicity surrounding Mr. Cruise would have an effect at the box office, and this weekend — as "Mission: Impossible III" kicked off the film industry's peak summer moviegoing period — it appeared as if it had. Paramount reported that "Mission: Impossible III" took in $118 million worldwide in 55 countries, doing well in Asia, Latin America and Britain and poorly in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where there is public opposition to Mr. Cruise's championing of his religion, Scientology.

Of course, what's missing in all these self-absorbed, gleefully vitriolic analyses is the most important point of all: so, how was the movie, anyway? Well, it was great. J.J. Abrams did a fantastic job with the film. He took this mysterious guy, Ethan Hunt, and made him human. He gave him a fiance, a cover job studying traffic patterns at the Department of Transportation, and IMF offices that look a lot like the offices of SD-6 on Alias. And that's not the only Alias infusion: the comraderie between the agents, the conflict between the personal and professional lives of the agents and the marvelous villain portrayed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. These elements jumpstarted this franchise. The action never let up, but this time we cared about the characters.

When we heard that Felicity herself, Keri Russell, was slated for a role we were less than enthusiastic. But we have to admit, she did a great job with the role. J.J. Abrams accomplished his mission: this was the best Mission: Impossible ever. Now, if we could just get Tom Cruise to take a vow of silence when he's not actually making a film.....

Posted on May 9, 2006

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