After arriving on Paramount+ on Jan. 25th, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ is currently the most watched movie on the platform worldwide, according to FlixPatrol. The action film, starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, has dethroned ‘Transformers: Rise of Beasts,’ which had held the position in the past few weeks.

‘Dead Reckoning,’ the seventh installment of the franchise, hit the platform almost nine months after its theatrical release in July last year. Despite grossing over $567.5 million worldwide, the film was a financial disappointment due to its reported budget of $219 million (after an insurance payout due to the COVID-19 delays).

Part of the explanation for the “low” box office was that the film was released in the middle of ‘Barbenheimer’ craze, as well as the Hollywood labor strikes. However, the studio is already thinking about the next installment, which has now been renamed (it was supposed to be titled ‘Dead Reckoning Part II’).

Mission: Impossible against AI

The film follows IMF Agent Ethan Hunt (played by Cruise) and his team as they try to stop a huge threat from a dangerous new weapon, a high-tech Artificial Intelligence (AI) system called the “Entity.” So, it was kind of ironic that while the writers and actors were fighting for AI protections against studios, the film failed to meet its big expectations at the box office.

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the movie also features Cruise’s most show-stopping stunts, such as the highly publicized motorcycle dive and parachute jump off a Norwegian clifftop. The film was also considered one of the best installments in the franchise.

‘Dead Reckoning’ cast: Who is in the film?

Among the familiar faces that return to the franchise are Simon Pegg as Benji, Ving Rhames as Luther, Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust and Vanessa Kirby as The White Widow. However, there are also new characters.

Hayley Atwell joins the cast as Grace, a thief who becomes Hunt’s new ally. Meanwhile, Esai Morales appears as Gabriel, the new antagonist. Other cast members are: Henry Czerny as Kittridge, Pom Klementieff as Paris, Cary Elwes, Greg Tarzan Davis, Shea Whigham, and Mariela Garriga.

All ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies are available to stream on Paramount+ and Prime Video.