Powered by the actor’s best opening in a decade, “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” exploded for an impressive $56 million at the box office this weekend, blowing past two-time reigning champ “Ant-Man“, the R-rated comedy sequel “Vacation” and analysts’ projections.
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Initial studio estimates had Rogue Nation debuting around $40 million for the weekend, but it was clear that Rogue Nation was destined for bigger things when it opened to $20.4 million on Friday – the best single-day opening in M:I history.
That’s just below the $57.8 million of Mission: Impossible II although that’s not taking into account 15 years of movie ticket inflation.
The Paramount and Skydance Productions film cost a reported $150 million to produce and should have no problem making up its budget, especially with overseas earnings. Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, Rogue Nation sees Hunt and his team attempting to prove the existence of (and then stop) the Syndicate, an global criminal consortium.
The first four “Mission: Impossible” films have grossed over US$2 billion. In 2011, “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” pulled in $209 million in the U.S. and $485 million internationally.
If there’s any solace, it’s that New Line spent a modest $30 million to Vacation, starring Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann and Chris Hemsworth.
“Rogue Nation” took in more than triple the Friday-Sunday total of New Line’s “Vacation” reboot, which pulled in US$14.9 million in 3,411 locations.
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Both Ant-Man with $12.8 million and Minions with $12.1 million held over to outpace Pixels’ second week. With its Wednesday and Thursday grosses included, the film’s cumulative total stands at an unremarkable $21.2 million. Segel stars opposite Jesse Eisenberg.
