Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt might be known for pulling off the impossible, but the latest mission didn’t quite skyrocket at the box office. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, co-written and directed by franchise veteran Christopher McQuarrie, initially seemed like it couldn’t dodge the box office bullet. But much like Ethan Hunt escaping an exploding Kremlin, the seventh installment of this adrenaline-fueled saga has found a new avenue for victory: Netflix.

Nearly a year after its theatrical release, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning has surged back into the spotlight, climbing Netflix’s Global Top 10 chart for the week of June 10-16. With 5.6 million views and a staggering 15.3 million hours clocked in, it secured the third spot, nestled comfortably behind Four Brothers and Hit Man. While it isn’t available on Netflix in the United States — where it continues its mission on Paramount+ and MGM+ — the international Netflix audience has embraced Ethan Hunt’s latest escapade.

Despite garnering a hefty $567 million worldwide, Dead Reckoning faced an unexpected challenge that even Ethan Hunt might struggle with: the double whammy of Barbie and Oppenheimer (affectionately dubbed “Barbenheimer”) releasing the following weekend. The simultaneous drop of these cinematic heavyweights overshadowed what was supposed to be a dominating performance for the IMF crew.

How Good Is ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’?

Critics and audiences alike hailed Dead Reckoning as one of the franchise’s finest, boasting a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 94% audience rating. These accolades placed it just a notch below the revered Fallout, but the $291 million production budget, which reached such a height due to COVID constraints, demanded more than just applause. To break even, the film needed to rake in $582-727 million — a mission made nearly impossible by pandemic-induced delays and stiff competition.

Though the theatrical run didn’t hit the expected highs, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning is doing what Ethan Hunt does best: adapting and overcoming. Its resurgence on Netflix isn’t just a testament to its lasting appeal but also a reminder of the shifting landscapes of film consumption. With audiences now binge-watching Hunt’s fight against the rogue AI known as the Entity, the film is experiencing a renaissance.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning may have stumbled at the box office, but its digital success underscores a vital truth in today’s entertainment world: the game isn’t over when the credits roll on opening weekend. With its gripping action sequences and edge-of-your-seat plot twists, it’s no wonder fans are flocking to Netflix to catch Ethan Hunt in action once more. Stay tuned to Collider for more. International fans can catch the film on Netflix and U.S. readers can head over to Paramount+.