Tom Cruise has earned a reputation for championing the cinema experience, but his latest trip to the movies has left film fans praising him for a very different reason.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Hollywood star reportedly arrived too late for a scheduled screening of Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated epic The Odyssey. Instead of calling it a night, Cruise turned the unexpected delay into an unforgettable evening for a group of AMC cinema employees.
According to one staff member, Cruise invited the employees to join him for an after-hours private IMAX screening of the film after discovering they hadn’t yet had the chance to see it themselves.
The employee, who posts on X as @ThatMovieGuy8, shared a photo alongside Cruise following the screening and wrote: “Baby’s first tweet! Tom Cruise did indeed come into Lincoln Square to watch ‘The Odyssey’ at a private screening and on his volition after a very sweet chat he invited all of us working to come and watch the movie with him. It was magical. The President of Movies indeed!”
The post quickly gathered attention from movie fans eager to know what it was like watching one of the world’s biggest stars experience Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster for the first time.
One user simply asked: “What he think about the odyssey??”
The employee’s answer painted a vivid picture of Cruise throughout the screening.
“Absolutely loved it,” the employee replied. “He was clapping with us all through the third act. He just kept uttering the phrase ‘that was so f***ing sick!’ the whole time. He was sitting right behind us throwing little comments and jokes our way. Made an epic movie even better!”
The comments prompted thousands of reactions, with many surprised to hear Cruise wasn’t sitting silently throughout the film.
Others were more interested in how the invitation had come about.
One person noted that many celebrities often rent out entire theatres for private screenings, writing: “A lot of celebrities rent out movie theaters in the morning for private screenings. I know Harrison Ford has publicly stated he does. Because they like going to the movies in the theater and it’s really hard when you’re Tom Cruise.
“That man values the theater.”
The AMC employee agreed, adding that Cruise valued the people working there just as much.
“And he values those of us working there too! When he found out we hadn’t seen it he insisted we watch it with him if we wanted to. Man literally said ‘you guys work so hard, it’s the least I can do!’ ‘The clearest view of a man is from below’ and it was a lovely view,” @ThatMovieGuy8 wrote.
Another user wondered whether the cinema employees had simply abandoned work to watch the film.
“Was you guys finishing your shift or did they just let you go watch it.. just curious,” one person asked.
@ThatMovieGuy8 explained: “Actually stayed a little late to make him some popcorn then we were off the clock for the movie. It was totally worth it!”
Someone else questioned who had been running concessions while the screening was taking place, writing: “So then who took yalls positions at concessions while yall watched????”
The reply cleared that up too.
“We were closed for the night when he came in so we got to clock off and watch the movie with him. It was insane,” @ThatMovieGuy8 said.
Not everyone viewed the story positively.
One social media user criticised Cruise, posting: “Love how Tom always makes everything about himself. ‘Come watch with me!’ as if the employees weren’t already exhausted cleaning up after rich celebs like him.”
The AMC employee was quick to defend the actor.
“He was actually really kind and made us feel super special and welcome,” @ThatMovieGuy8 wrote in defence of Cruise. “Made a point to tell us we work hard and that inviting us in was the least he could do, offered to buy us snacks, and wanted to make sure we got home safe by the end of the night. Class act if you ask me.”
Other fans asked whether Cruise had been attending with a larger group or whether it was a personal screening.
“It was just him and his team,” @ThatMovieGuy8 explained. “But he treated all of us like his boys. We are the squad now”
Another brief response summed up the employee’s overall opinion of the evening.
“Truly legend behavior,” the X user wrote.
The experience echoed Cruise’s long-standing passion for theatrical releases and the cinema experience.
According to the original report, the screening came about after Cruise reportedly arrived too late for an earlier showing before inviting AMC staff to join him instead.
The employee also described Cruise as “just a guy who really loves movies like the rest of us.”
They added: “When he found out we hadn’t seen it, he insisted we join him. Got to geek out with him about Dune after the prologue. Unreal stuff. He really really cares and was so down to earth. Lovely man.”
Following the screening, Cruise shared his own thoughts on The Odyssey with a message to director Christopher Nolan, producer Emma Thomas and everyone involved in making the film. Writing on X, Cruise said: “Wow! To Chris, Emma, and ALL of your brilliant cast and crew: thank you for an amazing night at the movie theater. I can’t wait to see it again!”
He accompanied the post with a photograph of himself outside the IMAX 70mm screening holding his movie ticket.
Featured image credit: X/TomCruise/@ThatMovieGuy8
