Tom Cruise is single-handedly trying to save the theatrical industry

The pandemic has ravaged the theatrical industry, and we’re still a long way away from things returning to normal. As a result, Hollywood’s biggest star of the modern era is in the midst of his longest-ever onscreen sabbatical, with Tom Cruise not having appeared in a movie since 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

CinemaCon may have thrown up plenty of newsworthy events, but it was Cruise who arguably stole the show. Not only is Top Gun: Maverick being lauded as an early contender for 2022’s best blockbuster, but the first footage and title reveal for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 blew everyone in attendance away.

The actor’s return as Pete Mitchell has been delayed since the summer of 2019, and it’s been continually held back because Cruise didn’t want to see it released until audiences were willing to return to the multiplex in their droves. Netflix and Apple inquired about taking it to streaming, but it’s highly unlikely the longtime A-lister will bring his talents exclusively to the small screen.

Not only that, but he threatened to lawyer up when he heard his seventh outing as Ethan Hunt was destined for Paramount Plus after 45 days, once again reinforcing his commitment to the big screen experience. If that still wasn’t enough, Cruise fought hard to ensure the Mission: Impossible 7 cast and crew kept working and getting paid through the worst of the pandemic, despite several shutdowns threatening to derail production entirely.

Streaming is still the number one competitor and threat to the old ways of heading down to the multiplex, but through a combination of hard work, dedication, Top Gun: Maverick, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1, Cruise is out there fighting the good fight.