Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One is turning out to be the longest operation for Ethan Hunt. After the commercial and critical success of Top Gun: Maverick last year, fans are eagerly waiting for another thrilling ride with the Tom Cruise-led feature. And to fans' delight it will be a long mission, IGN has confirmed the official run time of the first part of Dead Reckoning will clock in at two hours and 36 minutes without credits. In contrast, 2018's Mission Impossible: Fallout, the longest movie in the franchise by far had a runtime of two hours and 27 minutes.

Compared to the original movie which stood at a modest runtime of 50 minutes, over the years, Mission Impossible movies have slowly and steadily increased their run time following the larger trend that has more and more blockbusters clocking in around two and a half hours. The following feature then leaped to two hours and four minutes and Mission Impossible 3 stood at two hours and six minutes, then increasing with each movie in the franchise.

What to Expect from Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One?

The long-in-making feature is the first part of the two-part finale planned for Cruise’s exit from the long-running franchise. This time around Ethan Hunt is surrounded by many foes and friends as he along with his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet. The story will see the fan-favorite spy tracking down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. Also, expect to see the franchise's staple action sequences, big set pieces, and a mystery that needs many pieces to come together to resolve.

Weeks before its release, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One now boasts a record-breaking runtime. 

Tom Cruise's upcoming Mission Impossible 7 is set to begin the end of the thrilling spy franchise, after nearly three decades in the spotlight. 

Dead Reckoning Part One sees all the usual players return for another adventure, with newcomers like MCU mainstays Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff joining in on the fun. 

According to reports, the film had "insane" reactions from test screenings but had also been described as "still too long" by the studio. 

Mission Impossible 7 Breaks Franchise Record

As revealed by IGN, Mission Impossible 7 will be the longest film in Tom Cruise's globe-trotting franchise. 

Dead Reckoning Part One will clock in at 2 hours and 36 minutes without credits, breaking the record for the longest Mission: Impossible film.

To compare, below is the full list of MI movies and their runtimes (including credits): 

• Mission: Impossible - 1 hour and 50 minutes
• Mission: Impossible 2 - 2 hours and 4 minutes
• Mission: Impossible III - 2 hours and 6 minutes
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol - 2 hours and 13 minutes
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation - 2 hours and 11 minutes
• Mission: Impossible – Fallout - 2 hours and 27 minutes

Is Mission Impossible 7 Too Long? 

It seems after showing test audiences a nearly three-hour cut of the upcoming Mission Impossible, the studio, Tom Cruise, and director Christopher McQuarrie have been able to whittle the blockbuster down - albeit not by much. 

But one has to wonder, is Dead Reckoning Part One too long? 

Well, that will be up for audiences to decide when the film hits theater screens in a couple of weeks, but there has been a trend of success with these super-sized popcorn epics over the last year or so. 

Just this year, films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2 hours, 29 minutes) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2 hours, 49 minutes) sported elevated runtimes and were not held back. 

And if Mission Impossible 7 reaches the same bar that has been set by the last couple of films, audiences will be left wishing it was even longer despite the record-breaking runtime. 

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One hits theaters on July 12, and the first six MI movies can be streamed now on Paramount+.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One will explore Ethan Hunt's past. As the first half of the franchise's expected two-part finale, Dead Reckoning Part One brings Tom Cruise's IMF agent Ethan Hunt back to save the world once again. This time, he will be threatened by a ghost from his past – the movie's primary antagonist played by Esai Morales. Over the course of six films since 1996, the Mission: Impossible franchise has yet to explore any substantial part of Ethan's past, though that is set to change in the upcoming installment.

During a recent interview with Empire ahead of Mission: Impossible 7's release date this summer, director Christopher McQuarrie revealed that the film will explore Ethan's past for the first time. McQuarrie, who's directed four films for the franchise, says that Dead Reckoning Part One's villain played by Morales allowed them to explore parts of Ethan's mysterious past before the IMF. The director also revealed the villain's name, Gabriel, which carries some significance. Read McQuarrie's full comments below:

Casting Esai allowed us to explore things with those characters and the notion of Ethan’s past. Ethan has a past that predates the IMF, and that allowed us to explore that with a character that knew Ethan before Ethan was Ethan. That’s part of who Gabriel is. Every detail of the story is very carefully considered. People who want to do their homework can derive from that name, whatever they please.

Tom Cruise, an expert at pulling off dangerous stunts, provides an overview of the upcoming Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One's most insane set piece.

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Cruise broke down how he and Dead Reckoning's crew achieved a motorcycle jump off a mountainside ramp that transitions into him opening a parachute in freefall. "That was the first time I did it," he said over footage of the stunt's production. "When I let go, you have to make sure that I'm not attached to the bike in any way. Even my shoelaces are taped, and you let go and you start flying, and I have about six seconds to open that parachute before I hit the ground." When Kimmel questioned whether Cruise counted to six in his head, the Mission: Impossible star confessed that it was closer to eight seconds.

The latest trailer for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part I shows off plenty of Tom Cruise's most death-defying stunts yet.

The footage builds on the snippets previously released to market the film, revealing more insight into the story as Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is backed into a corner and faced with his most challenging job yet. While the premise of the narrative is still largely obscured, the new trailer does provide some intense new action sequences, spotlighting Pom Klementieff's using a saber to brawl with Ethan Hunt. Various scenes in a desert and a closer look at Esai Morales' as-yet-unnamed villain.