Steven Spielberg says Tom Cruise 'saved Hollywood' with Top Gun: Maverick

Legendary director Steven Spielberg met Tom Cruise at the 2023 Oscar nominees luncheon. At the event, Steven Spielberg praised Tom Cruise for his work on Top Gun: Maverick. The Schindler’s List director added that Top Gun: Maverick might be responsible for ‘saving the entire theatrical industry.’ 

In a video posted by The Elephant Whisperer’s director Kartiki Gonsalves, Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg are seen meeting each other. Kartiki Gonsalves captioned the post, “Just after I finished meeting Tom Cruise, he met Steven Spielberg! That was truly something to witness!”

After giving each other a long hug, the two Hollywood titans got engaged in a conversation. Spielberg told the actor he saved all of Hollywood. Spielberg said, “Seriously, Top Gun: Maverick might have saved the entire theatrical industry.” Both Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg earned Oscar nominations this year. Check out the video down below. 

Top Gun: Maverick’s success

Top Gun: Maverick became one of the biggest hits in the post-pandemic era. It was the second film after the pandemic which crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office. With a box office collection of $1.48 billion, the sequel of the 1986 flick Top Gun became the 11th highest-revenue-scoring film of all time on a global level. 

The sequel came out in 2022 and starred the likes of Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, Jon Hamm and Jennifer Connelly. On a domestic level, Top Gun: Maverick stands as the fifth highest-grossing film of all time. While Top Gun: Maverick has earned Oscar nominations in six categories, Spielberg’s The Fabelmans received nominations in seven. Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg have previously worked on War of the Worlds and Minority Report.