Tom Cruise earned a massive paycheck of $70 million for his very first Mission Impossible movie.

SUMMARY

Tom Cruise earned $70 million, including additional profits, in the first Mission: Impossible film.
Speaking a total of 3,249 words, the movie earned him $21,545 per word.
Paramount has readjusted the dates of Dead Reckoning Part 2 due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

Tom Cruise has left audiences spellbound with his Mission: Impossible franchise that solidified his action-star status. However, many might be surprised to know that the earnings he got for words he spoke on-screen for the first installment are quite staggering. The money-to-word concept for the action star turned out to be much hefty given that his unique trait is the insane action sequences that he prefers to perform by himself.

Tom Cruise in a still from Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One
 

Cruise debuted as Ethan Hunt in Brian De Palma’s 1996 movie, Mission: Impossible, which received mixed to positive critical response. With a production budget of $80 million, the film grossed $457 million at the box office.

Its success surely became the pillar for its sequels which then on became a strong franchise that continues to flourish even now. But, the paycheck he earned per word spoken in the first movie is quite spectacular. 

Tom Cruise’s Earnings Per Word He Spoke in Mission Impossible 1

Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible (1996)
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Paramount Pictures has surely racked up major profits with the success of the Mission: Impossible franchise with Tom Cruise headlining it. Before bringing Ethan Hunt’s character to life, the action-superstar had already proven his potential with solid box office records with his blockbuster hits like Risky Business, Top Gun, Rain Main, A Few Good Man, and The Firm among others. 

Due to his promising performance, the 61-year-old actor amassed a whopping sum of $70 million including additional profits in the first film itself. The huge paycheck was well enough to compensate for the insane action sequences he performed himself, but when we break down his paycheck with per word he spoke on-screen, it is quite jaw-dropping. Per GQ, Cruise spoke a total of 3,249 words, earning $21,545 for every word he delivered. 

The phenomenal success of the 1996 movie eventually contributed to Hunt’s return, thus establishing a whole new franchise by itself. The Top Gun actor last reprised his role this year in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One. But, its sequel has now been delayed. 

Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible 8 Won’t Release in 2024

The Mission: Impossible 7 team

The eighth installment in the Cruise-led franchise was initially scheduled for a June 28, 2024 release however now, it has been delayed by one year. Serving as a direct sequel to Dead Reckoning Part One, Paramount has readjusted the dates due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. 

However, now it will be filmed with Imax digital cameras as the untitled action-thriller movie will get a three-week run in Imax. As for the dates, it will now be released next year on May 23, 2025. 

This past summer, its predecessor received critical acclaim grossing $567 million worldwide. The movie starring an ensemble cast including Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Pom Klementieff among others is now available for buying on Apply TV+ and Vudu.