Tom Cruise breaks Rotten Tomatoes record as new Mission Impossible movie lands

Hollywood megastar Tom Cruise has just broken an impressive Rotten Tomatoes record thanks to the new Mission: Impossible film.

It’s yet another milestone for the superstar as the film franchise is about to release its seventh outing, with the second part due to arrive in 2024.

The actor earned an impressive Rotten Tomatoes feat as reviews for "Dead Reckoning Part One" have been glowing, with its score on review aggregate site currently sitting at 98 percent after 112 reviews.

With the film, the franchise (which was launched in 1996 with Brian De Palma’s original) has become one of the most acclaimed of all time. And, at the time of writing, the film has scored Cruise himself his highest Rotten Tomatoes score to date.

The first three movies have lower scores – the first has 67 percent, the second outing, directed by John Woo in 2000, is the only "rotten" film, with 56 percent, while JJ Abrams’ 2006 release has a slightly higher 71 percent.

It is the more recent installments that have received the most acclaim - the fourth M: I film, Ghost Protocol, which was released in 2011, has 93 percent, while 2015's Rogue Nation sits at 94 percent.

Up until Wednesday (6 July), Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which was hugely acclaimed upon its release in 2018, had the highest rating, with 97 percent. At the time of writing, however, Dead Reckoning Part One has taken its crown.

Sitting in third place in Cruise’s overall rankings is 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, with 96 per cent. For those wondering, the actor’s lowest ranked film is Cocktail (1988), which has a platry 7 per cent.

The latest ranking for Dead Reckoning Part One pushes Mission: Impossible over the edge as one of the most popular franchises of all time among reviewers.

The film is set to have the biggest opening weekend for a Mission: Impossible film to date, with box office tracking predicting $90m (£70.7m) It will face fierce box office competition in the following weeks, though, from Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which will be released on the same day (21 July).

Cruise, who turned 61 on Monday (3 July), said in a new interview with Sydney Morning Herald that he plans to see both films on opening weekend. He also shed light on his Mission: Impossible future.