Maybe Too Much Tom Isn’t a Good Thing

After all the TomKat hype, with a side of hype to boot, Mission: Impossible III finally opened this weekend on 4,054 screens across the country. Preliminary box office estimates have M:i:III taking in $48 million this weekend, which is kind of disappointing when you think about all the hard work Tom had to put in promoting the film, at the expense of spending time with new baby Suri. (And is he in the movie by himself? ‘Cause we didn’t see any interviews with other co-stars.)

Look at how the previous two Mission: Impossible films did before Tom went all weird on us:

By contrast, the original "Mission: Impossible" made $45.4 million on a mere 3,012 screens back in its 1996 debut weekend, while "Mission: Impossible II" made off with $57.8 million during its opening weekend back in 2000.

LAist is sure that M:i:3 will make back the estimated $150 million it cost to make the film, but the only other film that did a dent at the box office was Art School Confidential, which debuted on 12 screens and made $142,157, which means it nearly did the same as Tom’s film per screen.

Well, maybe after this box office disappointment, Hollywood will take notice and find a new kindler, gentler approach to marketing.

At the box office this weekend:

1. Mission: Impossible III, $48 million
2. RV, $11.1 million
3. An American Haunting, $6.4 million
4. Stick It, $5.5 million
5. United 93, $5.2 million
6. Ice Age: The Meltdown, $4 million
7. Silent Hill, $3.9 million
8. Scary Movie 4, $3.8 million
9. Hoot, $3.4 million
10. Akeelah and the Bee, $3.4 million