How possible will it be for 'Mission Impossible 5' to compete with 'Star Wars 7' in December 2015?
It looks like Paramount and Disney will go to head-to-head in an epic battle of high budget blockbusters after it was announced that the release date for the new Mission Impossible sequel would be scheduled for Christmas day in 2015. That's just a week after Disney launches 'Star Wars episode VII' at the box office on 18th December.
While both franchises have huge international fan bases, the hype surrounding 'Star Wars 7' may drown out some of the momentum of Paramount's marketing campaign for 'Mission Impossible 5'. As the battle for audiences looms and studios produce fewer, but more expensive releases, the risks of a flop are huge for investors.
As we saw earlier this year with 'The Lone Ranger', and 'After Earth', even the most successful producers and actors at the top face increasing challenges to succeed at the box office. Jerry Bruckheimer's surprise summer flop badly damaged his box office record whilst Will Smith's ability to draw big numbers fell far below expectations.
Both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg predicted a film industry implosion. These two films going head-to-head could be the catalyst if one of them fails…