In an interesting move, Paramount will be releasing “Mission: Impossible 5” on Christmas Day, 2015. This is notable for a few reasons. First and foremost, that means it will be hitting theaters just a week after “Star Wars: Episode VII,” meaning there’s a very good chance the film will get greatly overshadowed. Secondly, it’s sort of pitting J.J. Abrams against…J.J. Abrams. He’s directing “Episode VII,” and producing both films. So, in essence, he’s the man behind his own competition.

One could argue that the release date is a no-brainer for the M:I franchise, considering that the last installment (“Ghost Protocol”) opened around Christmas in 2011 and banked almost $700 million worldwide doing so. That’s $300 million more than “M:I 3”, which means that it reignited the franchise. Not many sequels can claim to have done that much better than their predecessor.

What do you think? Is Abrams playing a game of Chicken with himself? Will Paramount eventually move the date? Do you plan on seeing both? Is there a snowball’s chance in hell that “M:I 5” can win its opening weekend? Discuss below!

Source: Exhibitor Relations