Tom Cruise’s $571M Action Movie With All-Time Great Stunts Is Officially a Top 10 Netflix Success

Mission: Impossible started its life as a TV series in the 1960s, but nowadays, viewers know it as one of the biggest Hollywood action movie franchises of all time. For nearly three decades, star Tom Cruise entertained audiences with twisty and exciting adventures that were defined by their death-defying stunts. Starting with the now famous CIA break-in from the first film, Cruise attempted to outdo himself with each new installment, scaling the Burj Khalifa, hanging on for dear life on the side of a plane, and performing a HALO jump. Watching Cruise risk life and limb is what made the Mission: Impossible movies special, and people are enjoying the actor’s antics at home.

For the week of February 23rd – March 1st, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning was the No. 7 movie on Netflix in the United States. It beat out Fall, Kpop Demon Hunters, and The Orphans to secure its place on the chart. This was Dead Reckoning‘s first week in Netflix’s top 10.

Why Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Is a Hit on Netflix

After enduring delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning finally hit theaters in the summer of 2023. It faced the difficult challenge of following up Mission: Impossible – Fallout (arguably the franchise’s best entry), and it was overshadowed by the Barbenheimer phenomenon at the box office. Dead Reckoning grossed “only” $571.1 million, a considerable step down from Fallout‘s series high of $791.6 million. As a result, Dead Reckoning isn’t as highly regarded as some of its predecessors, but it’s still an action film worth watching.

Like all Mission: Impossible movies, Dead Reckoning features some of the best stunt work put to film. It even won the Actor Award for Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble, so there’s plenty here for action fans to appreciate. Director Christopher McQuarrie staged several memorable set pieces, including a wild car chase through the streets of Rome, Ethan Hunt’s daring motorcycle jump off a cliff, and the thrilling finale on the train. Because the filmmakers aimed to do as much as they could practically, everything on screen feels grounded and tangible, adding to the tension viewers feel.

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The stunts and fights are obviously the main draw here, but Dead Reckoning stands out for a few other reasons as well. It introduced viewers to Hayley Atwell’s Grace, who injected a fun sense of energy into the franchise with her charming performance. In particular, the sequences where she’s paired with Cruise are great, as the actors have tremendous chemistry with each other. Atwell was a welcomed addition to the Mission: Impossible ensemble, getting a chance to show off her action chops. This was also where Esai Morales debuted as Gabriel, who ended up becoming Ethan Hunt’s arch-nemesis over the final Mission: Impossible films. He was a suitably chilling presence, giving the IMF team a foil audiences loved to hate. When you add in the pre-existing camaraderie between the returning cast members, Dead Reckoning features many great acting performances in addition to the incredible stunts.

There was nothing like seeing a Mission: Impossible film in theaters; they were designed for the largest premium format screens. But the movies hold up quite well on home media, especially since people have their own big-screen TVs to take in all the action. Dead Reckoning may not have reached the heights of some of its predecessors (a very high bar to clear indeed), but it’s still a thrilling action movie with brilliantly constructed set pieces that’ll have you watching the behind-the-scenes footage to see how it was all done. It isn’t surprising it’s seen a surge in popularity on Netflix.

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