Jack Reacher director Christopher McQuarrie summed up why the sequel killed the franchise just as it was ramping up. Cruise has been on something of a hot streak with franchises. While he began his career jumping across different genres, from the 2000s onwards, the actor has been largely focused on action movies. Cruise's biggest series by far is Mission: Impossible, which offers up escapist thrills while the star is famed for performing his own outrageous stunts. He also scored a gigantic hit with Top Gun: Maverick, which flew to $1.4 billion in 2022.
https://screenrant.com/jack-reacher-never-go-back-christopher-mcquarrie-killed-franchise-reason/
