CANNES, France (AP) 鈥� Three years after with 鈥淭op Gun: Maverick,鈥� Tom Cruise again kicked up a storm on the Croisette with Wednesday's premiere of 鈥淢ission: Impossible 鈥� Final Reckoning.鈥�
Christopher McQuarrie's latest 鈥淢ission: Impossible鈥� installment was the biggest Hollywood tentpole wading ashore in . It, and Cruise, stirred a frenzy at the French Riviera festival, which again played eager host to the American movie star.
Just his arrival outside the premiere, beamed onto the screen in the Grand Th茅芒tre Lumi猫re, drew a response. When Cruise stepped out his car, oohs and applause reverberated through the theater. Cruise spent several minutes signing autographs for fans lined up on the Croisette.
Some had wondered whether Cruise might make a more daring arrival. When Cruise received an honorary Palme d鈥橭r from the festival in 2022, included an impressively timed jet flyover. Instead, on Day 2 of the festival, he and the film鈥檚 cast walked the red carpet accompanied by an orchestra performing Lalo Schifrin's 鈥淢ission: Impossible鈥� theme on the Palais steps. 鈥淏ravo!鈥� cheered Cruise.
Though selfies are frowned upon on the Cannes red carpet, McQuarrie took several of the group, which included Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Angela Bassett and Hannah Waddingham.
鈥淔inal Reckoning,鈥� the eighth 鈥淢ission: Impossible鈥� movie and a follow-up to 2023's 鈥淢ission: Impossible 鈥� Dead Reckoning Part One,鈥� is again a heaping serving of outlandish stunts in a globe-trotting, world-saving plot that greatly relies on Cruise's sheer force of will to propel it.
The film, which draws to a close McQuarrie's extended AI apocalypse tale, drew mostly good reviews following its screening and garnered a five-minute standing ovation.
鈥淭o be here in Cannes and have these moments, as a kid when we were growing up, I really can't even dream about something like this happening,鈥� Cruise said, addressing the audience. 鈥淚'm very grateful for 30 years to be able to entertain you with this franchise.鈥�
Throughout much of the 鈥淢ission: Impossible鈥� parade in Cannes, Cruise and McQuarrie lavished praise upon one another. Cruise told McQuarrie, who took over directing the franchise with 2015's 鈥淩ogue Nation鈥� that he looked forward to making 鈥渁 bunch of other kind of movies with you.鈥�
鈥淲hen I was a kid growing up, I was one of those kids who didn't quite fit in. A lot of my life was imaginative play,鈥� said McQuarrie. 鈥淎nd I got to grow up and have my very own action figure, who was actually willing to do just about every crazy thing I could think of.鈥�
Earlier in the day, Cruise joined McQuarrie midway through the director's masterclass talk. There was no press conference for the film, which meant Cruise and company faced no questions from reporters. But Cruise's surprise appearance allowed the 62-year-old star a moment to reflect on his 30 years with 鈥淢ission: Impossible.鈥� As to whether 鈥淔inal Reckoning鈥� is a last hurrah for him, he demurred, calling it 鈥渢he culmination of three decades of work.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檇 rather just people see it and enjoy,鈥� Cruise said.
Cruise, to no one's surprise, said he relishes the stunt work in 鈥淢ission: Impossible.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 mind encountering the unknown. I like the feeling. It鈥檚 just an emotion for me. It鈥檚 something that is not paralyzing,鈥� Cruise said.
Cruise, McQuarrie and Paramount Pictures, which will release 鈥淔inal Reckoning鈥� in North American theaters on May 23, are hoping the installment returns the franchise to box-office heights.
was considered a box-office disappointment, though it ultimately grossed $571.1 million worldwide. Still, with production budgets close to $300 million for these films, a lot is riding on 鈥淔inal Reckoning.鈥� Cruise has been traversing the world 鈥� with stops in Japan, South Korea and England in the run-up to Cannes 鈥� to drum up excitement. Paramount chief executive Brian Robbins also attended the Cannes premiere.
Cruise and McQuarrie, as they did around the release of 鈥淭op Gun: Maverick鈥� (which McQuarrie co-wrote and produced), have made themselves passionate pitchmen for the big-screen experience. McQuarrie on Wednesday granted: 鈥淚 worry for the fate and survival of cinema.鈥�
鈥淪treaming is in danger of driving the industry into extinction,鈥� said McQuarrie. 鈥淭he advantage a filmmaker has entering the world is that he doesn鈥檛 have the pressure of an opening weekend.鈥�
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For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit .
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
