Oppenheimer Will Kick Mission: Impossible 7 Out Of IMAX After One Week

What, did you think "Oppenheimer v Barbie: Dawn of Justice" was going to be the biggest blockbuster battle of the summer? Well, not so fast. This meeting of an immovable object and an unstoppable force is apparently shaping up to be Chris Nolan taking on the combined might of Chris McQuarrie and Tom Cruise for a fight to the finish over who will get the most amount of IMAX screens. Who will win? There's one clear winner and you may be surprised to find out that it's not the moviegoing public at large ... or, at least, only those who can actually make it out to the theaters for "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning" within its first week of release, that is.

That's the problem with the summer movie season these days. With so many big-budget spectacles jockeying for space every few weeks and only so many available screens to actually go around, some productions are inevitably going to find themselves shortchanged. That's the situation developing around the releases of Nolan's "Oppenheimer" and McQuarrie's next "Mission: Impossible" sequel, both of which have been filmed with the express purpose of being seen on the biggest screens available. Variety reports the sticky situation emerging between the two upcoming films, complicated by the fact that both of their releases in July will only be separated by a mere week.

With only that much of a head start, "Dead Reckoning" will enjoy one full week of IMAX screens before having to cede that prime real estate over to "Oppenheimer" for the next three, as mandated by an agreement arranged well ahead of time by Nolan.

This town is only big enough for one savior of the theatrical experience, apparently. As much as Tom Cruise and Chris Nolan would otherwise be staunch allies in this particular battle (and, to be fair, they still totally are — especially after Cruise went out of his way to see "Tenet" at the height of the pandemic), circumstances have contrived to pit their respective movies against each other. Hmm, I'm trying to remember a certain quote about dying a hero or living long enough to see yourself become the villain that would feel vaguely appropriate here. I'm sure it'll come to me.

For those keeping track at home, the first installment of the two-part "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning" is due to arrive on July 12, 2023, after a series of delays. "Oppenheimer," meanwhile, has always been slated for July 21. This leaves precious little breathing room for either film to experience a proper, uninterrupted run, let alone avoid cannibalizing each other's IMAX profits. Everyone's feeling the squeeze, according to IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond:

"I feel sad in a way we can't accommodate all of them. I know 'Mission: Impossible' is going to be a really big movie. Nolan has a special place in IMAX's heart because he uses our cameras and promotes us. It's not a matter of us saying which we can make more money on. I would hope after 'Oppenheimer's' run, we can bring back 'Mission.'

We'll have to see if that actually happens. Sadly, this means Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" won't receive any IMAX treatment whatsoever. The audacity! Although, according to early box office estimates, "Barbie" may get the last laugh anyway as it looks to open higher than the R-rated Nolan epic. Maybe the universe has a sense of humor, after all.