Tom Cruise, the Hollywood actor most loved by Koreans, is once again taking over domestic theaters with the final installment of the Mission Impossible series, ‘Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning,’ one of the most anticipated global films of the year.With the announcement of the film’s May release, which is expected to be the ‘highest box office hit’ among Tom Cruise’s previous leading roles, Korean movies are gearing up to ‘avoid May theaters.’

‘Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning’ (Mission: Impossible 8), which will be released on May 17th, is the 8th installment in the spy action blockbuster ‘Mission: Impossible’ series, starring Tom Cruise, and tells the story of elite special agent Ethan Hunt(Tom Cruise), who jumps into a desperate mission with the lives of all mankind at stake.

This film, the final chapter in the “Mission Impossible” series that has created a syndrome-level box office hit every time a new film is released since the first one in 1996, has been invited to the Cannes International Film Festival, which is unusual for a blockbuster franchise film, and has attracted even more attention as it has been recognized for its artistic quality as well as its “self-proclaimed” entertainment value.

In line with these high expectations, as Tom Cruise’s ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning’, released in 2022 and 2023 respectively, swept up global theaters for two consecutive years, there are even predictions that Tom Cruise’s new film in two years will succeed in becoming an ‘all-time box office hit’ that will surpass his previous highest-grossing film, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’.

Ahead of its release, the prequel, ‘Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning’, has entered the Netflix Top 10 list, and the number of IPTV and VOD users is also rapidly increasing.

Tom Cruise, who has been visiting Korea for every new release since Interview with the Vampire in 1994, is visiting Korea for the 12th time for this film, further inflaming the hearts of his fans.Tom Cruise met with his fans in person at a red carpet event on the 8th, along with director Christopher McQuarrie and other cast members including Simon Pegg, Pom Klementieff, and Greg Tarzan Davis.

Due to this momentum, Korean films have all pulled out of theaters this month, when Tom Cruise is appearing.Unlike April, when new Korean films such as “Opposition,” “The Holy Night: Demon Hunters,” and “Breakthrough” were released one after another, the only commercial Korean film confirmed for May is the romance “Virus” starring Kim Yun-seok and Bae Doo-na, which is aiming for a “solid hit” by being released a week before the release of “Mission Impossible 8.”


Reporter Seungmi smlee@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.