Mission: Impossible, Jurassic World, Superman Budgets Test Box Office

On Paramount’s storied lot in 2018, studio brass and partner Skydance gave the go-ahead for Tom Cruise to make two more Mission: Impossible movies following the massive success of Fallout . No one taking part in that decision some seven years ago could have known what was in store for Hollywood, much less the world, or the minefield they would have to cross.

Between COVID-19 delays, the strikes, reshoots and rising costs due to inflation, the blockbuster hopefuls of the 2025 box office season — from Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning , one of the most expensive movies ever made, to DC Studios/Warner Bros.’ Superman and Universal/Amblin’s Jurassic World: Rebirth — are saddled with price tags requiring sky-high box office returns. ( Rebirth did rein in its budget su