Movie

The movie has grossed an impressive $61.5 million, breaking the action-packed series' previous record of $57 million.

• Jul 30, 2018

AceShowbiz - Tom Cruise has made box office history after taking his new Mission: Impossible movie to the top of the North American chart with the franchise's biggest opening to date.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout has grossed an impressive $61.5 million (£46.9 million) in its first weekend, July 27-29 on release, breaking the action-packed series' previous record of $57 million (£43.4 million) - not adjusted for inflation - for 2000's Mission: Impossible 2.

The last installment, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, debuted domestically with $55.5 million (£42.3 million) three years ago.

The new landmark is also the second highest North American launch of Cruise's career to date, second only to War of the Worlds, which topped the box office with $64 million (£48.8 million) back in 2005.

Fallout's popularity has been boosted by the high praise the movie has received from fans and critics alike, with many dubbing the sixth film in the Cruise franchise the best of the blockbuster series, earning a 98 per cent score on review site Rotten Tomatoes.

Its success easily outpaced its closest competitor - Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a distant second with $15 million (£11.4 million) during its second weekend, placing just ahead of previous chart-topper, The Equalizer 2, which slips to three with $14 million (£10.7 million).

Animated films Hotel Transylvania 3 and the new Teen Titans Go! to the Movies round out the new top five in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Cruise also took Mission: Impossible - Fallout to the top of the global chart, earning an extra $92 million (£70.1 million) from its first few international markets, bumping the total opening weekend take to $153.5 million (£117 million).

Meanwhile, Incredibles 2 is also enjoying a big weekend as its worldwide total now stands at $997 million (£760 million), as it is expected to cross the $1 billion global barrier on Monday.

When it reaches the milestone, it will become only the 36th movie in box office history to do so, reports Deadline.com.

1. "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" - $61.5 million
2. "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" - $15 million
3. "The Equalizer 2" - $14 million
4. "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation" - $12.3 million
5. "Teen Titans Go! to the Movies" - $10.5 million
6. "Ant-Man and the Wasp" - $8.4 million
7. "Incredibles 2" - $7.2 million
8. "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" - $6.8 million
9. "Skyscraper" - $5.4 million
10. "The First Purge" - $2.2 million