Tom Cruise jumps from helicopter to thank ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ fans

A free-falling thank you!
Tom Cruise knows how to give his fans a proper thank you, taking a solo freefall dive ahead of “Top Gun: Maverick” release on Paramount+ to thank fans of the franchise for making the film a box office smash this past summer.
Cruise, 60, nonchalantly sitting along the outside of a helicopter, took time out from filming “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” parts one and two in South Africa to tell fans how grateful he was for driving the films theater success.
“I didn’t want the year to end without thanking you all for coming out to the theaters and thank you for supporting ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’” Cruise yelled over the blades of the helicopter.
Accompanying Cruise in the air was “Dead Reckoning” director Christopher McQuarrie, who reminded the action star they had to get back to filming.
Cruise with “Dead Reckoning” director Christopher McQuarrie moments before jumping out of the helicopter. Paramount Pictures / Youtube
The “A Few Good Men” star agreed and got into position to jump, but before letting go, he asked McQuarrie if he would be joining him.
“Not on your life. Good luck,” the director said.
“We’ll see ya down there,” Cruise says before fearlessly letting go of the aircraft and entering a freefall.
But, even in mid-air, falling over 100 mph toward earth, Cruise still had more to say about how gracious he was to everyone who came out to see the film in theaters.
“Top Gun: Maverick” hit nearly $1.5 billion at the box office. Getty Images
“As always, thank you for allowing us to entertain you. It truly is the honor of a lifetime,” he said, all smiles as he fell towards the ocean.
Before running out of altitude, the “Jerry Maguire” star said he had to get “back to work” and wished everyone “a very safe and happy holiday.”
“We’ll see you at the movies,” he finished saying before pushing away from the camera in mid-air and continuing his solo fall down.
Cruise after pushing himself away from the camera and starting the scene of the new “Mission: Impossible.” Paramount Pictures / Youtube
“Top Gun: Maverick,” originally supposed to be released in 2019 but was pushed back following all the complex flight scenes and then the global pandemic, was one of Paramount Pictures’ biggest hits of all time, amassing nearly $1.5 billion worldwide.
In May of this year, after the film was released in theaters, Cruise revealed that the film was never planning on making its debut via streaming services despite years of setbacks from filming and the pandemic.
The new film has Cruise reprising the role of Maverick, who returns to the elite aviation training program to train the next generation of flyers, including Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Greg Tarzan Davis, Danny Ramirez, Lewis Pullman and Jay Ellis. Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm and Val Kilmer, reprising his role from the original, also star.
“Top Gun: Maverick” will be released on Paramount+ on Dec. 22, 2022.