Earlier in the day, Cruise joined McQuarrie midway through the director’s masterclass talk. There was no press conference for the film, which meant Cruise and company faced no questions from reporters. But Cruise’s surprise appearance allowed the 62-year-old star a moment to reflect on his 30 years with Mission: Impossible. As to whether Final Reckoning is a last hurrah for him, he demurred, calling it “the culmination of three decades of work”.
“I’d rather just people see it and enjoy,” Cruise said.
Cruise, to no one’s surprise, said he relishes the stunt work in Mission: Impossible.
“I don’t mind encountering the unknown. I like the feeling. It’s just an emotion for me. It’s something that is not paralysing,” Cruise said.
Cruise, McQuarrie and Paramount Pictures, which will release Final Reckoning in North American theatres on May 23 (it opens in Singapore on May 17), are hoping the installment returns the franchise to box-office heights.
Dead Reckoning Part One was considered a box-office disappointment, though it ultimately grossed US$571.1 million worldwide. Still, with production budgets close to US$300 million for these films, a lot is riding on Final Reckoning. Cruise has been traversing the world – with stops in Japan, South Korea and England in the run-up to Cannes – to drum up excitement. Paramount chief executive Brian Robbins also attended the Cannes premiere.
Cruise and McQuarrie, as they did around the release of Top Gun: Maverick (which McQuarrie co-wrote and produced), have made themselves passionate pitchmen for the big-screen experience. McQuarrie on Wednesday granted: “I worry for the fate and survival of cinema.”
“Streaming is in danger of driving the industry into extinction,” said McQuarrie. “The advantage a filmmaker has entering the world is that he doesn’t have the pressure of an opening weekend.”
