"Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" to Premiere at Cannes

The iconic Mission: Impossible franchise is about to make cinematic history as it is set to release its final installment Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, on the 23rd May 2025. The film had its first premiere in Tokyo on the 5th May and is set to premiere at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, on the 14th May 2025, making it one of the most high-profile blockbusters to grace the Croisette in recent memory. 

The decision to premiere at Cannes is strategic and symbolic. While the festival is known for showcasing arthouse and international cinema, it has also welcomed Hollywood when it matters, for example, Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, which earned Tom Cruise a standing ovation, according to Screen Daily. By premiering The Final Reckoning at Cannes, Paramount is potentially trying to position the film as both a global spectacle and a work of serious cinematic craftsmanship. As Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a high-profile film, it will screen out of competition, leaving the Palme D’Or for more artistic or innovative works, as is typical for the Cannes Film Festival. 

What to expect from the film 

In this Final Installment, Tom Cruise returns as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, a role he’s inhabited since the 1996 original. This eighth and final entry in the franchise marks the end of an era for action filmmaking and star-led stunts. Director Christopher McQuarrie has promised a send-off worthy of the franchise's legacy. "We’re not just going bigger," he told Empire Magazine. "We’re going deeper into the psychology of Ethan Hunt and what this mission has cost him."

Franchise fatigue has long been a concern in Hollywood, but Mission: Impossible has consistently defied the odds. With each film, Cruise has doubled down on death-defying stunts, from hanging off planes to halo jumps. The latest teaser hints at underwater sequences, collapsing high-rises, and a showdown in Tokyo. If it is true that this is Cruise’s last mission as Ethan Hunt, it would be a fitting farewell for one of cinema’s last true action stars to be screened at Cannes. This Final Installment will certainly be the end of an era. All eyes will be on Cannes next week as the world watches Cruise take one final leap.