Movies have been getting longer and longer for a while now, andMission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Oneis no exception, as the first test screenings of the film have left Paramount Pictures' President calling for it to be trimmed down.
The trailer for the seventh entry in theMission: Impossiblefranchise premiered in May of last year, instantly getting fans hyped forthe type of stunts Tom Cruise will performin his penultimate outing as Ethan Hunt, and it looks like there’s plenty of footage from his action exploits. Since the franchise began its cinematic history,Mission Impossiblemovies have seen their runtime extend, with the 1996 classic coming in at just under 2 hours, whereasFallouttops out at 148 minutes.
RELATED:5 Memorable Skydiving Scenes In Movies
These new editing pointers come from Paramount Global’s president, Bob Bakish, who commented on it during a conference panel (viaIndieWire). Bakish said that after the first test screening, “the audience lost their mind,” but despite thatMission: Impossible 7is “still too long, they’ve got to cut it.” Naturally, Bakish threw plenty of compliments towards Cruise, yet the bottom line is that the film “is insane. It’s like a complete thrill ride,” which is exactly what fans will be hoping for come July 2023.
Bakish refrained from giving out a specific number for what studio executives andMission: Impossible 7director Christopher McQuarriemight consider too long. However, these statements do make it sound as ifDead Reckoning Part Oneis all but guaranteed to surpass 2018’s sequel. On the other hand,Mission: Impossible 7will be the first installment in the saga divided into two parts, which could help alleviate the lengthy runtime of this first cut.
IfAvatar: The Way of Water’s success is anything to go by, audiences don’t mind spending an extra 40 minutes or so in theaters if the amount of spectacle delivers, which appears to bethe case forMission Impossible 7’s stunts. Cruise and Paramount’s ownTop Gun: Maverickdidn’t go overboard at 130 minutes, and to be fair,Fallout’s 2 hours and 28 minutes still lag behind the nearly 3-hour movies the public has grown used to.
Easily placed as one of 2023’s most anticipated movies,Mission Impossible 7seems off to a great start. The movie’s final cut should help it maintain its legacy asone of the best action movie franchises ever.
