Tom Cruise’s dramatic stunt at the Olympic closing ceremony in Paris has received a mixed reaction from viewers.
To mark the handover from Paris to Los Angeles – where the 2028 games will be hosted – the Mission: Impossible actor dramatically abseiled off the Stade de France roof, landed in a crowd of fans before hopping on a motorbike and riding out of the stadium while holding the Olympic flag.
A pre-recorded film then showed the actor, who is known for performing all of his own stunts, travelling through Paris and driving onto a plane, before he eventually parachuted down to the ground, landing at the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles.
Elsewhere at the closing ceremony, American musicians Billie Eilish and H.E.R performed to showcase Californian talent, while “Can’t Stop” by the LA band Red Hot Chili Peppers was played during Cruise’s Mission: Impossible moment.
Cruise’s appearance had already been predicted by some fans, since he was spotted several times in Paris in the past fortnight while cheering on the US team in the swimming relay and watching multi-medal-winning American gymnast Simone Biles in action.
On social media, some fans suggested that the stunt was a little too predictable.
“Happy Olympics Closing Ceremony or as it’s better known Tom Cruise Is Gonna Do a Crazy Stunt Day,” wrote one viewer on X/Twitter, as another called the stunt “totally unsurprising,” adding: “I can imagine Tom Cruise doing [something] like this on a casual Tuesday”.
Others marvelled at the Mission: Impossible-style stunt, with one viewer writing: “[Cruise] did all of his favourite stunts, jumped off of a building, rode a motorcycle, ran a bit, climbed a bit, and of course jumped out of an aeroplane. A Mission Impossible supercut.”
An American viewer remarked that it set the tone for the spectacle that will be the LA games, predicting it will be “obnoxious all over the place”.
Others noticed the difference between the artistic decisions from the French side versus the US side, with one X/Twitter user joking: “France: ‘This was nice let’s do some art and some weird stuff to close the show and it’ll be nice’.
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“America: ‘STAR SPANGLED BANNER. TOM CRUISE. GUITARS. MOTORBIKES. RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS.’”
Spectators were heard shrieking when they spotted Cruise standing on the top of the stadium, dressed in a leather jacket and gloves, before seamlessly lowering himself to the ground.
The moment was also a convenient promotional move for Cruise’s forthcoming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, which will be released in May 2025, and will mark the eighth time the actor has starred in the franchise since 1992.
Shortly after Cruise’s stunt, Paramount Pictures, which makes the Mission: Impossible franchise, shared a statement online thanking the actor for his contribution to the industry – before teasing aspects of the forthcoming movie.
“Today’s closing ceremonies brought our world another incredible moment from Tom Cruise, one that has us looking back on many before it. No matter the mission, he’s always accepted it,” said the statement.
“We want to take this opportunity to thank Tom for all that he has done for our industry and art forms as both an actor and a producer,” it continued. “He’s consistently strived for the utmost competence across any and all skills that will better the story and experience for the audience.”
Replying online, Cruise said: “I’m incredibly proud of all that we’ve done together. I look forward to sharing our next Mission!”