‘The Odyssey’ Star John Leguizamo Roasts a ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movie in a Speech With a Surprising Point

Awards-night speeches usually stick to thank-yous and shout-outs to agents. The Critics Choice Association’s Celebración of Cinema & Television, which recognizes Latino and Hispanic talent on and off screen, is a rare event where honorees tend to speak from the heart. The sixth annual edition took place on Oct. 2 at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.

John Leguizamo was the night’s marquee honoree, receiving the Career Achievement Award for a run spanning more than four decades. The CCA also pointed to his recent turn in ‘The Odyssey,’ which posted the biggest live-action opening weekend of the year and has crossed $1 billion globally. Inde Navarrette took the Breakthrough Actress Award for film.

Then Leguizamo said something that got the room talking. Variety posted video of his speech on X, with Leguizamo calling ‘Mission: Impossible — Reckoning‘ a “bomb so expensive they teach it in business school.” The clip has since racked up more than a million views.

John Leguizamo calls “Mission: Impossible — Reckoning” a “bomb so expensive they teach it in business school.”

via The Critics Choice Association's 6th Annual Celebración Of Cinema & Television pic.twitter.com/Z7NLXqG8sW

— Variety (@Variety) October 2, 2026

Netflix Junkie reads the reference as ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.’ It was one of several flops he named, alongside ‘Ishtar’ and ‘Waterworld.’ The jab turned out to be a setup rather than the point.

The point was fairness. Leguizamo argued that if a filmmaker can make a famous flop and still get hired the following Tuesday, that is equity, and equity means the second chance, not the trophy. He also passed along advice from filmmaker Tracy Layman about being a light and a mirror that reflects brightness onto others. Storytelling, he said, is his voice, and his closing goal is for every Latin child in the country to see themselves on screen.

Variety reported that he also used the speech to send a message to Paramount’s David Ellison. The industry, he said, belongs in L.A., and he urged the studio chief to think about what Americans and the industry need. The room was full of people who care about exactly that.

As for the film itself, the numbers back up part of the joke. ‘Dead Reckoning Part One’ carried a gross budget of $291 million, or $220 million net, and grossed $571.1 million worldwide. It was the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2023 but was still considered a disappointment relative to its cost, even though critics acclaimed it.

The sequel cost even more. ‘The Final Reckoning’ had an estimated production budget of $300 million to $400 million and grossed $598.8 million worldwide, making it a box office disappointment as well. It did, however, record the largest opening weekend of the franchise at $79 million, and it holds an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Zoom out and the picture looks different. The eight-film franchise has earned $4.74 billion on a combined $1.5 billion budget. That is a lot of money to call a flop, and it suggests that Leguizamo’s remark was more about spectacle-sized spending than about the franchise’s overall record.

The timing is notable too. The remarks landed the same weekend Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ opened to a soft start, with Deadline eyeing about $10 million for his lowest opening in 19 years. Whether Hollywood’s famous second chances apply to a star of Cruise’s stature is a question the industry will be watching.

For Leguizamo, the roast was an excuse to make a point about opportunity. And judging by the reaction online, the joke landed nearly as hard as the message.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!