How birthday boy Tom Cruise became the patron saint of going to the cinema as the action star turns 61 today

He’s turning 61 today and is showing no signs of slowing down in his old age; Tom Cruise is on the campaign trail ahead of the release of his latest movie, “Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Part 1” that is due in cinemas later this month and has somehow became almost a patron saint of cinema goers, as he continues to extol the virtues of going to see movies how they should be - on the big screen.

His most recent example has been when asked whether people should go see Gerta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie or if they should go see Christopher Nolan’s new opus, “Oppenheimer.” Cruise instead suggested that with both being released on the same day, it would be the perfect chance to have a film double-header and watch them both back-to-back, making a day of it at the cinema.

It’s that dedication to getting people into cinema seats that continues to foster this idea that Tom Cruise, who some might consider the last “real” Hollywood star from the halcyon era of cinema going, is trying his best to save cinemas, such as Cineworld here in the UK, from becoming akin to a storyline from one of his many blockbuster actions films - extinction. 

The acid test regarding Cruise’s dedication to cinema dates back to those days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when we first started to learn we could go out to certain places but with a number of protocols involved. The cinema world was at a standstill, with a number of studios turning their attention to streaming services in order to recuperate what production costs had been sunk into their blockbuster summer feature.

A number of studio acquitted and let what would have been their box office numbers try and translate into streaming figures; it works in some cases, such as the much anticipated “Many Saints of Newark” Sopranos prequel, and it could have also worked for Cruise’s return to his popular ‘80s hit, “Top Gun.”

But, according to Cruise, the idea of “Top Gun: Maverick” going straight to streaming services was never on the table, and if it was, Cruise was happy to leave that money on the table for the more traditional distribution route for his movie. Taking the film to the illustrious Cannes Film Festival in 2022, Cruise spoke about how important it was for him to get this movie into cinemas and get the cinema going public back into those seats - responsibly of course.

Eschewing streaming for a cinematic experience

“That’s not going to happen. Ever,” Cruise said during a Q&A about his work at the festival. “I make movies for the big screen. “I’ve spent a lot of time with theatre owners. The people that serve the popcorn, the ones who make this [happen].” Cruise then confirmed how much was riding on both “Top Gun: Maverick” and the latest instalment from the Mission: Impossible franchise, which led to an outburst caught on audio admonishing those from the Mission: Impossible set for not taking COVID-19 protocols seriously. 

Turns out, Tom Cruise and his production standards were being monitored very closely not only by the UK Government for not breaking new rules on working during the pandemic, but what felt like the entirety of Hollywood and cinema itself. The actor said he called movie theatre owners with a message: “Please, I know what you’re going through. Just know we are making ‘Mission: Impossible’ and ‘Top Gun’ is coming out.”

“Top Gun: Maverick” was an overwhelming financial and critical success, earning $391.1 million USD at the box office in what many at the time felt “saved” cinemas by demonstrating that despite some restrictions still occurring throughout the world at that time, people were still eager to see movies on the big screen such as those by Tom Cruise. 

Now 61 year of age, will Tom Cruise be canonised for his help in ensuring that cinemas, despite having dwindling box office numbers this summer as evidenced by The Flash and fears now over the box office for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, still remain an important part of the the movie making and movie going experience. 

When is Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One out in the United Kingdom?

The new instalment of Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible franchise is to be released in cinemas on July 10 2023 in the United Kingdom, with a date of July 12 2023 in the United States for our overseas readers.