When will Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One be released on Paramount Plus? The short answer is: we don't know yet. But, if we had to hazard a guess, it won't be until late 2023 at the very earliest.
Mission Impossible 7 has officially landed in theaters in the US and Australia (it was released in the UK two days earlier), and fans of the action-spy film series are sure to be enjoying what's on offer from the franchise's latest thrilling installment. After a less-than-stellar period for theatrical ticket sales – the likes of Indiana Jones 5, The Flash, and Elemental haven't performed well – the Tom Cruise-led movie may well pull a Top Gun: Maverick and save the global box office.
We think it will, too. In our Mission Impossible 7 review, we called Ethan Hunt's latest adventure an "electrifying summer movie that cinemas need right now", which "cements the movie series as one of the most entertaining in recent memory". High praise, indeed.
"But when is it coming to Paramount Plus?", we hear you cry. As we said, we're unsure, but we believe we know when it could. To find out the reasons why, you'll have to read on.
When could Mission Impossible 7 make its streaming debut on Paramount Plus?
In our minds, it'll be a long wait for Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One to make its Paramount Plus debut. As we noted above, the movie has only just landed in theaters worldwide. So, anyone hoping it'll make the leap to Paramount's streaming service in the coming weeks should prepare to be disappointed.
Of course, a lot depends on how Mission Impossible 7 performs at the box office. If it races out of the gate and lands a significant box office haul – in excess of $250 million globally – Paramount Pictures would be silly to pull it from cinemas after the typical four-week theatrical run.
After all, the Mission Impossible franchise is one of Paramount's biggest money spinners. The previous six movies have pulled in a combined $3.57 billion, and the last three alone have earned $2.17 billion of that sum. In fact, that trio grossed over $680 million each during their runs, with Mission Impossible – Fallout (the last one to debut in theaters) earning almost $800 million.
The smart money, then, is on Mission Impossible 7 breaking the $800 million barrier. Considering Tom Cruise helmed one of the highest-grossing movies of 2022 with Top Gun: Maverick, which earned $1.48 billion, Paramount will be hoping Dead Reckoning Part One can easily surpass that estimated figure of ours.
So, if the latest Mission Impossible movie performs well in ticket sales, its theatrical run will be extended for as long as possible. That'll push its Paramount Plus launch date back, meaning those of you waiting for it to arrive on one of the world's best streaming services will have a long wait on your hands.
There are forthcoming movie rivals, however, that could scupper Dead Reckoning Part One's chances of dominating the box office. Barbie and Oppenheimer, both of which release on July 21, are two of the most anticipated new movies of the year. If either, or both, eat into Mission Impossible 7's slice of the box office pie, Paramount could – we don't think it will, but it could – cut its losses and release it on digital platforms earlier than anticipated.
Even then, though, it's unlikely it'll join Paramount Plus' film library. We expect the Cruise-starring flick to be made available to buy and/or rent on digital stores like the Amazon store, Apple store, Google Play, and YouTube before it's available to stream 'for free' on Paramount Plus (you need a subscription to watch TV shows and films on the streamer). In summary: don't expect Mission Impossible 7 to accept a new mission to join the platform's back catalog in the near future.
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One's likely streaming launch date
With all of those contributing factors out of the way, when do we think Mission Impossible 7 will launch on Paramount Plus? We believe it'll be around November/December 2023 – and there are two big reasons why.
First, as previously mentioned, how popular it'll be among audiences in theaters and whether it's making enough money for Paramount to continue showing it on the biggest screens possible.
Second, the timing of when other big-hitting Paramount-developed films joined its streaming platform. For example, Top Gun: Maverick didn't join Paramount Plus until December 22, 2022. That means it was almost seven months before it landed on the service.
However, Scream VI, which debuted in theaters on March 10, was made available on Paramount Plus just six weeks later. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves didn't have to wait long to join Scream VI in that back catalog, either – the fantasy adventure movie arrived on Paramount's streamer two months after its theatrical debut.
Although they were critically acclaimed, neither had the box office allure of a Cruise-led film nor the pulling power of the Mission Impossible franchise. If Dead Reckoning Part One becomes another cash cow for Paramount, it's not likely to debut on the company's streaming service until the end of 2023.
For more Mission Impossible coverage, read our exclusive chat with the Dead Reckoning Part One cast. Additionally, check out our ranking of every Mission Impossible movie to date, or see if any of them made it onto our best Paramount Plus movies guide.
