Part 3/10:
Behind the scenes, several studios made strategic positioning decisions indicative of their doubts about Indiana Jones. Paramount moved up the release date of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning from July 12 to July 10, effectively positioning it to launch just days after Indy’s debut. This move signaled a lack of confidence in Indiana Jones’s box office potential. By unifying Mission Impossible’s global release with Indy, Paramount aimed to protect TOM Cruise’s franchise momentum, a move that seemingly contributed to the decline of Disney’s film.