‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ premieres in Paris

By Maya Barkin

PARIS (Reuters) – The sixth installment of spy movie franchise “Mission: Impossible”, which sees actor Tom Cruise leap from a military plane 25,000 feet above Paris, premiered on Thursday in the French capital.

“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” tells the story of a mission gone wrong. Agent Ethan Hunt, played by Cruise, is hunted by assassins and former allies as he races against time to prevent a terrorist organization from provoking a global catastrophe.

Cruise, who is known for doing his own stunts, also races a motorbike helmet-less through oncoming traffic round Paris’ Arc de Triomphe and pilots a helicopter though mountain ravines in Kashmir.

Hundreds of fans queued for hours to see the actor arrive at a movie theater close to the Eiffel Tower.

“I have been attending Cruise’s premieres for the past six years and it still has the same effect; I am just as happy,” fan Julia Margot told Reuters.

Cruise told reporters that filming in the city had often been difficult.

“It is always a challenge but I am never afraid,” he said. “I chose to shoot in Paris because it is so beautiful, it is a city of cinema.”

Rebecca Ferguson, returning as Hunt’s love interest — a government agent sent to track his enemies down — said she was happy women were involved in the action.

“We shouldn’t bring women in films just to create an equality … women need to be there,” she said.

The film, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, will be released in movie theaters worldwide from July 25th.

The first five “Mission: Impossible” movies have raked in $2.8 billion at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo, putting it in the top 20 movie franchises of all time.

(Reporting by Maya Barkin; Editing by Matthias Blamont and Catherine Evans)