On Sunday, we got the first teaser trailer from the latest film in Tom Cruise’s “M:I” franchise, “Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.”
Filled with the usual jump cutting of action-packed moments while reintroducing us to Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team, the trailer concludes with a shot of Cruise hanging outside a large plane taking off.
Pretty jaw-dropping.
But this is just the latest in crazy stunts showcased in the “Mission: Impossible” trailers. And the crazier the featured stunts, the more money the movie has raked in at the box office.
Let’s take a look back.
“Mission: Impossible” (1996)
Cruise launches the “M:I” franchise with legendary director Brian De Palma at the helm. Along with establishing the Ethan Hunt character for a generation who weren’t around for the 1960s TV series, there were also some great stunts throughout. And though most will remember Hunt hanging from wires trying to break into CIA headquarters, the most insane stunt was teased in the trailer.
It was Hunt leaping from an exploding helicopter onto a moving train while inside a tunnel.
For the late ‘90s, this was a marvel in CGI wizardry. And audiences certainly wanted to see it on the big screen as the film took in $458 million worldwide. Firmly cementing the “M:I” franchise.
“Mission: Impossible 2” (2000)
So how do you follow up Tom Cruise leaping from an exploding plane onto a train? You hire action legend John Woo to direct the sequel.
The trailer shows off Cruise’s motorcycle talents, though we also have to endure a Limp Bizkit rendition of the iconic “M:I” theme music. But Woo definitely ups the level of stunts, the major one showing Hunt and the bad guy playing chicken on bikes and on the moment of impact leaping in the air to fight one another.
The result was an $88 million bump at the box office as “M:I 2” took in $546 million globally.
“Mission: Impossible 3” (2006)
Perhaps it was because the world had changed since 9/11 and people didn’t want to see Tom Cruise blow things up, or director J.J. Abrams turning to a darker place for Ethan Hunt to explore in this edition of the franchise, but audiences found themselves less excited for “M:I 3” and it showed at the box office. Though it was number one its opening weekend the film only took in $398 million total worldwide. The lowest earner of the franchise to date.
And from the trailer you can see there isn’t that “wow” moment the others have. The closest is Cruise running from an explosion on a bridge; the shock knocking him into a car. The scene pales in comparison to jumping from an exploding helicopter, and people began to question if Cruise could still lead action films.
“Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol” (2011)
The trailer of the fourth film proved Cruise could still open an action movie. In one of the craziest predicaments yet, we find him scaling the tallest building in the world — the Burj Khalifa in Dubai — reportedly without a stunt double.
The stunt worked as “Ghost Protocol” is the highest grossing film in the franchise with $695 million globally.
We can only imagine what the hanging-from-a-plane stunt in the “Rogue Nation” trailer (which, by the way, Cruise also did on his own) will do for the film’s box office.
Here’s the full trailer that was released today, with a longer airplane hanging portion.
SEE ALSO: Why we'll see the new 'Mission Impossible' sequel 5 months earlier then expected
