Missing In Action

Well..Well...Well...

It's all over the the internet... any way you slice it Mission Impossible III proved to be a disappointment in its first weekend of release--despite lots of positive reviews and sitting atop the U.S. box office. Here's a small sample of how this story is being reported...

Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo says "Falling short of expectations, 'Mission: Impossible III' delivered an estimated $48 million opening weekend, selling far fewer tickets than its predecessors..." (the film did about $10 million less than 2000's Mission: Impossible II when it opened).

Here's his full report.

The New York Times and My Way are essentially calling this lukewarm debut The Crash Of Cruise

While the Entertainment Weekly website says "M:I-3" wins -- but with less than expected

Studio Briefing proclaims 'Mission' Accomplished -- Not

And finally Variety asks Par's 'Mission': Impossible? saying Cruise spark sputters

There's no question in my mind, that the over exposure of TomKat, the media frenzy over the birth of their daughter Suri, and Cruise's odd behavior, all plays a part in why MI:3 missed the mark.

Sight unseen--the fact that JJ Abrams and his chums from Alias are behind the film--means that I would have paid for a ticket to see this movie--but Cruise and his personal life issues really turned me off. And I just couldn't support it...

Apparently, as I said on Saturday, a lot of other folks felt the same way I do.