Tom Cruise surprises Top Gun: Maverick fans at special screening

He feels the need – the need to please! Tom Cruise pulled another all-star stunt over the weekend, making a surprise appearance at a screening of Top Gun: Maverick. As if that wasn’t cool enough, the showing itself was backed by a live orchestra performing the movie’s score.

With nearly 3,000 people in attendance, Tom Cruise’s surprise spot was an insanely huge hit within the famed Royal Albert Hall in London. During his introduction, Cruise expressed excitement at the rarity and history that the live music added to Top Gun: Maverick, noting its usage during the silent era.

While live musical accompaniments to modern films (that’s talkies, ya see) have become more popular over the years and it’s not uncommon to find them during special occasions (many theaters, for example, do Harry Potter films around Christmas), Cruise said that this particular screening of the Top Gun sequel would allow him to fulfill a lifelong desire. “I’ve always wanted to experience a film like this with a live full symphony orchestra, synchronized picture, in front of a packed audience in the grandeur of a classic movie palace. Thank you all for being here, and thank you for making this dream come true.” He even sat at the theater’s pipe organ, no doubt taking cues from his old pal Nick Nightingale.

Cruise, ever the champion of cinema, also expressed his thanks to those behind the scenes of Top Gun: Maverick – both the film and the special screening. “The power of music and its use in cinema to deepen our experience of the story and our connection to the characters is absolutely magical. And the music you’re about to hear live tonight, I want to personally thank the extraordinary talents of Harold Faltermeyer, Hans Zimmer, Lady Gaga, OneRepublic, and the gentleman who’s here this evening who also produced the score, Lorne Balfe. I also want to thank tonight’s orchestra and all of your exceptional talents.”

A box office smash at $1.5 billion worldwide and one of the best films of 2022, Top Gun: Maverick was just what both movie theaters and moviegoers needed that year. Now, will we see a Top Gun 3?

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