On the Lot: Tom Cruises, another R-rated comedy stumbles

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Aug 3, 2015

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On the Lot: Tom Cruises, another R-rated comedy stumbles

He's often been the subject of derision, but Tom Cruise proved he can still open a movie, and open it big. Plus, another R-rated comedy stumbles

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - JULY 30: Tom Cruise attends the Korea Premiere of 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' at the Lotte World Tower Mall at on July 30, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures International)

He's often been the subject of derision, but Tom Cruise proved he can still open a movie, and open it big. Plus, another R-rated comedy stumbles

"Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation smoked" the competition in the weekend box office sweepstakes, proving that, after more than 30 years, Tom Cruise can still draw a very big crowd.

Meanwhile, "Vacation" became the latest in a series of raunchy, R-rated comedies to underperform this summer, leading some to believe the gross-out laff-fest genre has lost its way.

And our On the Lot contributor, Rebecca Keegan of the LA Times, makes a personal plea to end the impersonal and often very awkward practice of film junkets, where movie stars spend day after day doing interviews with seemingly every new organization, blog and newsletter in the country.