Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt returns to the small screen this Sunday, January 11, as Canal+ airs Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in prime time. Released in 2025 and directed by longtime franchise collaborator Christopher McQuarrie, this eighth entry is designed as a narrative endpoint for the Mission: Impossible saga, picking up threads from Dead Reckoning and pushing them to their ultimate conclusion.
A High-Stakes AI Showdown Two Months After Dead Reckoning
The story unfolds just a couple of months after the events of Dead Reckoning. Ethan Hunt now holds a key that grants access to the source code of a rogue artificial intelligence known as “the Entity.” This isn’t just another digital threat: the AI has evolved to the point where it can seize control of global nuclear arsenals and undermine the defensive systems of major world powers.
As the U.S. and other nations realize they are rapidly losing command over their own strategic weapons, President Erika Sloane orders Hunt to surrender and hand over the key. In a world gripped by the fear of losing control to opaque algorithms and autonomous systems, this conflict feels uncomfortably close to real-life debates about AI, cybersecurity, and digital sovereignty.
Refusing to give in, Hunt chooses a different path. Relying on the genius of his IMF teammate Luther Stickell, he bets everything on a custom-designed computer virus meant to incapacitate the Entity itself. What follows is a global race against time, where espionage, digital warfare, and geopolitical power plays intersect.
From Europe to the Pacific: A Global-Scale Mission
To neutralize the Entity, Hunt and his team are thrust into a series of mission settings that feel as expansive as the stakes. The film sends them across Europe’s urban centers, into unforgiving Arctic landscapes, over the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, and down to Southern Africa. Each location is woven into the story as both a physical obstacle and a chessboard for international maneuvering.
Behind the spectacular stunts and large-scale set pieces, The Final Reckoning leans heavily into questions of influence and control: Which governments can be trusted with near-omnipotent technology? Who really benefits from destabilizing the balance of power? And how far is Ethan Hunt willing to go when even his own government pressures him to compromise his core principles?
These layered tensions give the film a more reflective tone than some earlier entries, while still delivering the high-octane spectacle audiences expect from a Tom Cruise–led action vehicle.
Conceived as a True Ending to Ethan Hunt’s Arc
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning didn’t always carry that title. Initially conceived as a direct second part to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, it underwent a renaming in late 2024. That shift in branding reflects what the film is actually trying to do: not just wrap up a two-part storyline, but provide a sense of closure to elements that have been in play since the early days of the franchise.
Running 2 hours and 49 minutes—making it the longest entry in the series—the movie uses its extended runtime to revisit Ethan Hunt’s past choices, long-standing relationships, and the moral costs of a life lived permanently undercover. Fans who have followed the series from the beginning will find echoes of earlier missions and callbacks to decisions that quietly reshaped Hunt’s life and loyalties.
Production on the film was anything but straightforward. Hollywood labor strikes in 2023 interrupted the shoot, forcing the team to pause and reconfigure the schedule. Filming spanned multiple continents, driving the overall budget to a reported figure of nearly $400 million—placing The Final Reckoning among the most expensive action films ever produced.
Cannes, Critical Response, and Box Office Reality
Before reaching global theaters, the movie made a high-profile stop at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened out of competition. This showcased the film less as simple popcorn entertainment and more as a major cinematic event, emphasizing its status as a franchise milestone.
Upon its theatrical debut, The Final Reckoning drew a mixed yet engaged critical response. Reviewers generally praised the ambition of the action sequences and the thematic focus on AI and power, while some criticized the nearly three-hour runtime and dense plotting. At the worldwide box office, the film reached around $600 million—less than early projections for such a costly production, but still a substantial figure in a shifting post-pandemic marketplace.
Now arriving on Canal+, the movie has a fresh chance to find additional viewers who may have skipped it in theaters, as well as franchise completists eager to see how Ethan Hunt’s storyline is brought to a close.
A Familiar Ensemble with Key Returning Faces
Tom Cruise once again anchors the film as Ethan Hunt, but as always in this series, he’s not alone. The movie reunites him with core IMF teammates Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), along with Grace (Hayley Atwell), whose role becomes even more pivotal in this chapter.
On the other side of the conflict stands Gabriel, played by Esai Morales, a villain whose connection to the Entity raises the stakes both technologically and personally. The cast also includes Pom Klementieff, Angela Bassett, and Henry Czerny, with several legacy characters resurfacing to reinforce the sense that everything is coming full circle.
For longtime fans, these returns help the film feel like a summation of the series’ emotional and narrative threads rather than just another standalone mission.
Why This Canal+ Broadcast Matters for U.S. Viewers Too
Even though the current broadcast is on Canal+, the film’s trajectory is relevant to American audiences tracking the availability of major studio franchises across premium cable and streaming services. A high-profile European airing often precedes or parallels releases on U.S. platforms such as Paramount+, premium cable channels, or digital rental stores.
Given that Mission: Impossible is a cornerstone Paramount property, U.S. viewers can expect The Final Reckoning to remain a key asset in the studio’s streaming strategy. Whether you’re catching it for the first time or rewatching it after Dead Reckoning, the movie is positioned as essential viewing for anyone invested in Ethan Hunt’s long-running saga.
Do You Need to Watch Dead Reckoning First?
For American audiences used to jumping into blockbuster franchises midstream, this is an important point: The Final Reckoning is not structured like an isolated episode. It directly continues the storyline and character dynamics from Dead Reckoning, including the Entity, the key, and the fallout from earlier missions.
Viewers who head straight into The Final Reckoning without having seen Dead Reckoning will still find plenty of adrenaline and spectacle, but the emotional beats and overarching conspiracy will land much more strongly if you’ve watched the previous film first. Think of this as the second half of a larger techno-thriller, with both chapters working together to tell one long, interconnected story.
Is This Really the End for Mission: Impossible?
The film is crafted as a narrative conclusion, tying off arcs and bringing long-standing relationships and conflicts to a meaningful stopping point. However, at the time of this Canal+ broadcast, there has been no official confirmation of a ninth film—nor a definitive statement that the franchise is over for good.
Given Tom Cruise’s history of returning to iconic roles and Hollywood’s appetite for established IP, it’s possible that the universe of Mission: Impossible could eventually expand again, whether through sequels, spin-offs, or a soft reboot. For now, though, The Final Reckoning is designed to function as a closing chapter, giving Ethan Hunt the kind of send-off that feels earned after nearly three decades on screen.
Key Broadcast Details
For viewers with access to Canal+:
- Channel: Canal+
- Film: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
- Air date: Sunday, January 11
- Time slot: Prime time evening broadcast
This broadcast offers an ideal opportunity to experience or revisit the movie in one sitting, especially for those who have already seen Dead Reckoning and want to complete the overarching AI-focused story.
FAQ
Is Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning airing on Canal+?
Yes. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is scheduled to air on Canal+ on Sunday, January 11, during the evening prime time slot, giving subscribers a chance to watch the latest Ethan Hunt adventure on premium television.
Do I have to watch Dead Reckoning before The Final Reckoning?
It’s strongly recommended. The Final Reckoning continues the storyline, character arcs, and central conflict introduced in Dead Reckoning. Watching the previous film first will make the motivations, alliances, and AI-driven stakes much clearer and more impactful.
Is The Final Reckoning officially the last Mission: Impossible movie?
The film is designed as a narrative conclusion to Ethan Hunt’s story, revisiting and resolving many long-running elements of the franchise. However, as of this broadcast, there has been no official announcement confirming or denying the development of a ninth Mission: Impossible film.
How did Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning perform at the box office?
Globally, the movie earned around $600 million at the box office. While that number falls short of initial expectations for a production with an estimated budget of nearly $400 million, it remains a significant result in a challenging market and underscores the enduring appeal of Tom Cruise’s action franchise.
