'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' Opens with $56 Million at Box Office

Mission: Accomplished.

Tom Cruise and his Impossible Mission Force bested already-high expectations to debut atop the U.S. box office this weekend with $56 million, according to estimates Sunday.

That gave "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation" one of the best three-day openings of the five movies in the franchise and restored the 53-year-old Cruise to bankable action star status with his third-best debut after "Mission: Impossible II" and "War of the Worlds."

Despite opening two days earlier on Wednesday, "Vacation" fell short of projections to finish with $21.2 million over the five-day period, though the Ed Helms-starring film's modest $30 million should ensure that the raunchy comedy ends in the black.

Returnees "Ant-Man" and "Minions" followed with $12 million-plus each while "Pixels" petered out with $10.4 million and "Paper Towns" fizzled with $4.6 million.