Mission: Impossible 7 is being much talked for its splashiest stunts like drive motorcycle off a cliff in Norway that actor Tom Cruise performed death defying the laws of physics, proved to be quite costly considering this stunt and others like it had to be pulled off in the midst of a globe-rattling pandemic. It left Paramount and Skydance Media shouldering a massive budget and an endless stream of unforeseen expenses.

According to a report in Variety, Mission: Impossible 7 cost $290 million to produce, which is tens of millions more than the studio and its financial partner expected to have to shell out. The eye-popping price tag includes the substantial tax incentives that the global production was able to leverage to rein in costs. In contrast, the most recent film in the series, 2018’s Mission: Impossible — Fallout, cost $190 million to make.

A significant factor in this budget escalation is that Mission: Impossible 7 was initially scheduled to begin shooting in Venice in February 2020, but it had to stop and start production seven different times. Day one of principal photography took place in Venice, the same day Northern Italy went into COVID-19 lockdown. The production then scrambled to move shooting to Rome, only to once again be forced to shut down when cases spiked. Public health restrictions and further outbreaks of the virus added unanticipated costs because the studio has had to keep crew and cast members employed and housed during long lag times and quarantine periods.  There are also costs associated with having to shut down streets and canals in major cities, such as Rome and Venice, only have to scrap those plans and reschedule them. Further complicating matters were global supply chain issues, which brought unforeseen costs via lumber and additional materials.

In January, Paramount announced that it was delaying the release of Mission: Impossible 7, which will also add interest costs to the film’s overall budget.

Paramount and Skydance also announced that Mission: Impossible 8 will open June 28, 2024 instead of its previously announced debut of July 7, 2023. Part of the reasoning is that Tom Cruise wants to have finished making the eighth film before the seventh film is released. That’s because the seventh movie ends with a cliff-hanger, and the star wants to make certain that the transition between installments is seamless.

Also Read: Tom Cruise starrer Mission: Impossible 7 and 8 delayed once again; now set to release in 2023 and 2024