Christopher McQuarrie Opens Up About Barbenheimer Beating Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning at the Box Office

Barbenheimer — the cultural phenomenon born from fans hitting theaters to watch Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer as a double feature when the films were released back in July — turned out to be a massive win at the box office. Both films had huge box office hauls and even set records for AMC Theatres. While this was great for theaters, Warner Bros. and Universal, it was less great for Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1. The latest installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise didn't fare quite as well at the box office, but the film's director Christopher McQuarrie isn't focused on that aspect of things. McQuarrie recently told the Empire Spoiler Specials podcast (via ScreenRant) that he is "delighted" for his fellow filmmakers and their success.

"I couldn't be more delighted. We meant what we said when we went out and bought those tickets. I meant what I said when I went on Twitter – my last ever post on Twitter – and said, 'Go pink or go home,'" McQuarrie said. "Could not be more thrilled for Margot [Robbie], who I think is an extraordinary talent, a mega-star. And I'm delighted for the validation that the movie gives to that part of Margot that is that mega-star. And I hope the lessons learned from that are applied. Couldn't be more thrilled for Greta. Chris Nolan… you want to talk about between a rock and a hard place? You want to talk about a guy whose movie was a three-plus hour R-rated drama with nudity that leaves you feeling quote-unquote 'devastated'. That's a tough sell. That's one helluva marketing strategy. And he won. He called it like Babe Ruth and he won. God bless him. Congratulations. That's fantastic."

He added, "And it's a triumph for original movies. It's a triumph for films that are not sequels. And in the case of Oppenheimer, a drama. What movies used to be all the time. Tom and I just look at each other all the time like, 'Man, it's just about quality.'"

Barbie Continues to Break Records

Barbie has been an absolute unstoppable force at the box office, so much so that the film recently hit $1.36 billion at the worldwide box office, beating out Universal and Illumination's The Super Mario Bros. Movie to become the top-grossing film of 2023 thus far. Barbie previously passed Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight ($536 million) to become Warner Bros. Pictures' highest-grossing domestic film release. Continuing its streak of box office domination, Barbie has also become Warner Bros. Pictures' biggest global film release ever, passing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ($1.34 billion). On the all-time box office charts, Barbie is currently the 14th-biggest domestic film release and the 15th-biggest global film release in box office history. Barbie is sure to run up its score when it goes into IMAX theaters with new footage in September.

What is Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One About?

Here's the official description for the latest Mission: Impossible film: Tom Cruise is back as the iconic action hero Ethan Hunt in the seventh installment, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which is set to make its way into theaters next week. It's the beginning of the end for the action-packed franchise, as Cruise reteams with longtime collaborator and director Christopher McQuarrie for more death-defying and breathtaking stunts. Hunt and allies Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) attempt to track down a new weapon with the power to tear the world apart. Actors Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, and Esai Morales join the cast for the latest installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, which is set to wrap up with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is in theaters with a second part, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, is currently scheduled to  hit theaters on June 28, 2024.