So far, this year has been quite exciting for all cinema-goers. With movies like Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Fast X, and Tom Cruise starrer Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, fans had plenty of options to choose from. In the end, the question arises: Which movie is the best of 2023 till this point?
The opinion may vary from person to person, however, the director of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Christopher McQuarrie has declared his winner. While his movie was overshadowed by other blockbuster hits, McQuarrie has stated that Nolan’s Oppenheimer was a tough sell, but he still managed to win.
Christopher McQuarrie praised Oppenheimer
Recently, Christopher McQuarrie, the director of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, starring Tom Cruise, appeared on the Empire Spoiler Specials podcast and talked about the domination of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Despite Barbie taking the crown, McQuairre thinks Nolan’s film was equally good,
“Chris Nolan… you want to talk about between a rock and a hard place? You want to talk about a guy whose movie was a three-plus hour R-rated drama with n*dity that leaves you feeling quote-unquote ‘devastated.’ That’s a tough sell. That’s one helluva marketing strategy. And he won. He called it like Babe Ruth and he won. God bless him. Congratulations. That’s fantastic. And it’s a triumph for original movies. It’s a triumph for films that are not sequels. And in the case of Oppenheimer, a drama. What movies used to be all the time. Tom and I just look at each other all the time like, ‘Man, it’s just about quality.'”
The kind words for Oppenheimer don’t mean that McQuarrie thinks Barbie is any less. He also stated that is delighted with the effect “Barbenheimer” had on the cinema.
Christopher McQuarrie also praised Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie
In the same interview, McQuarrie also hailed Greta Gerwig’s Barbie stating that he is thrilled about their success,
“I couldn’t be more delighted. We meant what we said when we went out and bought those tickets. I meant what I said when I went on Twitter – my last ever post on Twitter – and said, ‘Go pink or go home.’ Could not be more thrilled for Margot [Robbie], who I think is an extraordinary talent, a mega-star. And I’m delighted for the validation that the movie gives to that part of Margot that is that mega-star. And I hope the lessons learned from that are applied. Couldn’t be more thrilled for Greta.”
Barbie has officially earned more than $1.3 billion at the global box office, becoming the highest-grossing movie of 2023. The next spot was secured by The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Nolan’s Oppenheimer took the third spot.
Why did Tom Cruise’s latest Mission: Impossible movie fail to earn big?
There are a number of reasons behind Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One‘s mediocre performance. The main one being it’s bad timing. The film was released on 12th July 2023, 9 days before the worldwide release of Barbie and Oppenheimer. This is a sign that the audience is looking for something new rather than additional installments in long-running franchises, which also include the Fast and Furious franchise.
The latest Mission: Impossible movie was not terrible, in fact, the fans of the franchise have praised it, however, it couldn’t compete with other blockbusters of 2023. It has roughly earned $560 million a the global box office, but sources have stated that it has caused an estimated loss of roughly $40 million for Paramount.
Source: Empire Spoiler Specials podcast
