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Tom Cruise knows haters gonna hate, but he's still a mesmerizing screen presence

Kim Hollis: A film for which we had only partial information at the time, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, wound up becoming the top film of the holiday season. The fourth Mission: Impossible film has earned $172.6 million so far. Is this more, less, or about what you were expecting? How much credit do you give to the IMAX exclusive release?

Matthew Huntley: M:I 4's domestic box-office take - $172.6 million and counting - is a lot more than I was expecting it would make overall, especially given that the third film was so soft and Tom Cruise's popularity has dwindled the last few years. I think a great deal of the film's success is owed to the innovation of director Brad Bird, as well as Cruise himself, neither of whom seemed willing to settle for traditional action scenes this time around. They made it their mission (no pun intended) to show us something new and different, and because they did (and because it's good), audiences are pleased and word-of-mouth has been very strong and positive.

I do think the M:I 4 IMAX experience has a lot to do with it. Many would agree the movie contains some of the best IMAX shots ever filmed for a mainstream production and I know I've been telling people this is the way to see it, as I'm sure other people have, which has certainly contributed to its overall box-office take. But here's the thing: M:I 4 would be a good movie regardless of its IMAX footage, and that's what counts. The format definitely enhances it, but it doesn't make it.

I wonder, now that the series has rebounded, will it end on a high note or will there be fifth one? As good as Ghost Protocol is, I think Cruise and company should quit while they're ahead.

Brett Beach: First the praise: I haven't screamed out loud with delight at so many original and ridiculous and entertaining action sequences since (possibly) The Long Kiss Goodnight and many of my screams for that were because of the profane dialogue and the level of ridiculous violence. This was like a live-action Looney Tunes cartoon, and even if characterizations were minimal, the sweep of the action, its flavor and the feeling that the actors or their stunt doubles were really in the thick of it, made it feel almost retro.

Its success to date is a lot more than I was expecting and I would credit the IMAX early release for creating buzz, but the near unanimous critical approval may have helped sway some older moviegoers as well (not sure how this is playing with the teen market that was largely underserved this year).

Edwin Davies: I had good feelings about the film before release, based solely on the faith I have in Brad Bird, so this is in line with what I thought, or hoped, the film would do. The IMAX exclusive release was a masterstroke since it turned the film from yet another sequel to a real event. The critical acclaim no doubt helped, but that sense of exclusivity created demand where seemingly there hadn't been any before. The idea of having to see the film in IMAX really sold the spectacle aspect of the film, which in turn generated superb word-of-mouth for both the film and IMAX itself, prompting people to see it in the format wherever possible.

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