Tom Cruise has been a bankable movie star for four decades now, and as his success continues, he’s set a record that no other actor can reach.
Tom Cruise is one of the biggest movie stars working today, and he holds an incredible box office record that will likely never be beaten. The actor has been a bankable star for 40 years, and almost every movie he has led in that time had a guaranteed audience. Ever since proving himself as a charismatic lead actor in 1983’s Risky Business, he has gone from one success to another, whether it’s working with Steven Spielberg on the biggest Sci-Fi movies in the world or becoming the face of the Mission: Impossible franchise.
Cruise’s popularity still continues to rise, as he surprisingly had the biggest success of his career in 2022 when Top Gun: Maverick made almost $1.5 billion. The Top Gun sequel broke so many records and impressively grossed way more money than any Marvel Cinematic Universe release that year. Top Gun: Maverick was the second-highest-grossing movie of 2022, sitting behind Avatar: The Way of Water. However, along with the many records broken by the Top Gun sequel, Cruise holds a box office record of his own that is nigh-impossible for any other actor to ever beat.
Tom Cruise has only ever had one movie that has grossed over $1 billion, which is 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick. However, while a number of movie stars have multiple billion-dollar-grossing movies under their belts due to being part of giant franchises and cinematic universes, Cruise holds a more impressive box office record. Over 30 of Cruise’s movies have made over $100 million worldwide.
Some of those $100 million movies include Jerry Maguire, Rain Man, and Cocktail, and it’s hard to imagine those movies making as much money if they were released today or if they didn’t star Tom Cruise. That number will only get bigger too, with future Mission: Impossible installments certain to add to the total. Cruise’s star power, combined with his longevity and work ethic make it extremely unlikely that any other actor will come close to this record.
Not only is it hard for other movie stars to reach that number of successful movies with their blockbuster franchises, but it’s even more difficult for them to reach it with original movies. Cruise doesn’t actually have that many franchises to fall back on. Outside of the Mission: Impossible series, two Jack Reacher movies, and two Top Gun movies, all of his other $100-million-grossing films have been completely original or adaptations of novels. That’s the kind of consistency that no other actors can maintain, as the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and so many others have struggled to find success with their original movies.
There are just as many original movies being released as there used to be, especially with streaming services developing their own films. However, despite the huge number of original movies being produced on an annual basis, it’s unlikely that any other movie star will ever beat Cruise’s record. Original movies aren’t anywhere near as successful at the box office as they used to be, and a large percentage of original movies go straight to streaming. Thanks to Tom Cruise’s commitment to the theatrical experience, the number of $100-million-grossing movies in his filmography will continue to increase, whereas more bankable actors will cross over to streaming.