Tom Cruise has been one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars for close to four decades. As the leading man in classics like Top Gun and the action-packed Mission: Impossible franchise, his movies have pulled in over $10.1 billion (£8.4bn) globally.
At 60 years old, Cruise continues to break box office records. In fact, his latest release, Top Gun: Maverick, was the highest-grossing movie of 2022.
But what about his other box office hits? Read on to discover the 20 highest-grossing Tom Cruise movies of all time and to see if your favourite flick made the cut. Some entries in our round-up will definitely surprise you. All dollar amounts in US dollars and box office figures from IMDb.
Cruise cemented his status as a Hollywood heartthrob when he played smooth-talking bartender Brian Flanagan in 1988’s Cocktail.
Though it was widely panned by critics, the guilty-pleasure rom-com – which is listed in the Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of the 100 Most Enjoyable Bad Movies Ever Made – made a fortune at the box office.
Cocktail made $171.5 million worldwide. That's a hefty $441.3 million (£366.5m) in today's money, making it the 20th highest-grossing Tom Cruise film of all time.
Rebelling against his then clean-cut image, Cruise challenged himself to a very different role when he played the villainous bloodsucker Lestat in 1994's gothic horror Interview with the Vampire.
The frightening flick was a highly anticipated adaptation of Anne Rice's book of the same name, and Brad Pitt, Christian Slater, and Kirsten Dunst also had starring parts.
Rice's best-selling vampire novels have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide, so it's hardly surprising that the film pulled in $223.7 million at the box office. That's a fang-tastic $455.5 million (£378.2m) in today's money, if you were wondering.
In 2014, Cruise teamed up with Mary Poppins Returns star Emily Blunt for the ambitious sci-fi thriller Edge of Tomorrow.
Loosely inspired by Hiroshi Sakurazaka's 2004 Japanese novel All You Need Is Kill, the action-packed alien flick was a critical and commercial success, grossing $370.5 million globally. When 2022 inflation is factored in, that’s an impressive $471.5 million (£391.5m).
One of the more surprising entries in our round-up is undoubtedly the 2002 parody movie Austin Powers in Goldmember. Almost unrecognisable in a wig, false teeth, and glasses, Cruise made a cameo in the wacky flick, playing a version of spy extraordinaire Powers.
Mike Myers' iconic comedy featured various impressive cameos, including the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny DeVito, and even Beyoncé. It went on to gross around $296.7 million at the box office, which equates to a respectable $498.8 million (£413.9m) in today’s money.
Cruise forayed into the horror genre once again when he starred in 2017’s The Mummy – a reboot of Brendan Fraser's popular franchise from the early 2000s.
The fantasy thriller may well be the 16th highest-grossing Cruise flick of all time, having made around $502.6 million (£417m) globally in today's money – but it’s actually considered to be a box office bomb.
Factoring in the production budget and sky-high marketing costs, it reportedly lost Universal as much as $95 million. Director Alex Kurtzman called the ill-fated project the "biggest failure" of his life.
The star-studded cast of legal drama A Few Good Men included Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Kiefer Sutherland.
Cruise played the leading role of Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee in the 1992 flick, and was reportedly paid around $12 million for his efforts.
Based on the 1989 play by Aaron Sorkin, the film was a hit with audiences and critics alike. It grossed $243.2 million at the box office –$524.3 million (£435m) in today's money – and bagged four Academy Award nominations, including the prestigious Best Picture.
Action man Cruise showcased his softer side when he starred in rom-com Jerry Maguire opposite Bridget Jones’s Diary star Renée Zellweger.
Cruise's title role as sports agent Maguire even saw him receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
The heartwarming hit grossed $273.6 million at the box office in 1996, which is $527.5 million (£437.6m) in today’s money.
Cruise fronted legal thriller The Firm, a silver screen adaptation of John Grisham's best-selling novel from 1991.
A huge hit, the 1993 movie earned around $270.2 million globally, making it the highest-grossing film ever to be adapted from a Grisham novel. In today’s money, that’s a hefty $564.1 million (£468m).
Cruise has starred in over 50 movies, but is arguably best known for fronting the spy-thriller Mission: Impossible franchise, in which he plays secret agent Ethan Hunt.
So far, six films have been released in the series, making an eye-watering $3.6 billion at the box office. And and with at least two new instalments in the works, this figure is only set to soar.
When inflation is considered, 2006's Mission: Impossible III is the lowest-grossing in the franchise. However, its earnings are certainly nothing to be sniffed at: the movie made close to $398.5 million on its release, which is a healthy $598.3 million (£496.2m) in today’s dollars.
Tom Cruise combined forces with legendary director Steven Spielberg for the 2002 sci-fi flick Minority Report. Spielberg reportedly persuaded Cruise to forego an upfront salary for the film in exchange for 15% of the film's gross box office takings instead.
The risky move paid off big time. The high-concept thriller grossed a remarkable $358.4 million at the box office, which is around $602.5 million (£499.7m) when inflation is considered.
If reports are true, that means Cruise pocketed a whopping $53.8 million for his efforts.
Cruise's acting portfolio is undoubtedly diverse, as demonstrated when he took on the title role in 2003's period drama epic The Last Samurai.
Praised for its thrilling battle scenes and breathtaking cinematography, the movie was a global success, grossing around $454 million at the box office. In today’s money, that’s a mammoth $743.9 million (£616.9m).
Packed with its usual white-knuckle stunts and pulse-racing action sequences, audiences flocked to see the fifth instalment of Mission: Impossible when it hit the big screen in 2015.
The spy thriller grossed a stellar $682.7 million globally, or $869.7 million (£721.4m) when adjusted for inflation.
Not only is Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation the eighth highest-grossing Tom Cruise movie; it was also the eighth highest-earning flick in 2015 overall.
The Mission: Impossible franchise was actually based on the CBS TV series of the same name, which aired on the network in the 1960s and 70s. According to reports, Cruise was a fan of the original show, and it was his idea to adapt it for the silver screen.
Released in 1996, the first instalment of the juggernaut franchise grossed $457.7 million at the global box office – $882.5 million (£732m) when inflation-adjusted – and was the fourth highest-grossing film of that year.
Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman starred together in the Oscar-winning Rain Man back in 1988.
Made on a budget of just $25 million – around $64.3 million (£53.3m) today – the critical darling grossed $354.8 million at the global box office. In today's dollars, that’s a staggering $913 million (£757.3m).
Cruise starred as Ethan Hunt for the fourth time in 2011’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
The action flick was the fifth highest-grossing of the year, banking an incredible $694.7 million worldwide. That's $939.1 million (£778.7m) in today's money, making it the third highest-earning Mission: Impossible movie.
Cruise teamed up with Steven Spielberg once again for 2005’s War of the Worlds, which was based on H.G. Wells' 1898 novel.
The blockbuster adaptation boasted a mammoth budget of $132 million, or $206.1 million (£170.8m) when inflation-adjusted.
Happily, the investment paid off, and the sci-fi epic made a global total of $603.9 million, which is $942.8 million (£781.7m) today. It was the fourth highest-grossing film of 2005, beaten at the box office only by the Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Chronicles of Narnia franchises.
Released in 2018, Mission: Impossible – Fallout is the sixth instalment of the blockbuster franchise. It pulled in over $791.1 million globally, which equates to a colossal $950.2 million (£787.8m) today.
Not only is Mission: Impossible – Fallout the third highest-grossing Tom Cruise movie but it’s also his highest-rated flick overall, with an impressive 97% "fresh" rating on review website Rotten Tomatoes.
Mission: Impossible II narrowly misses out on taking the top spot in our round-up. However, it does take the title as the highest-grossing Mission: Impossible movie when inflation is factored in.
The action-packed thriller raked in an incredible $546.4 million worldwide, which is an eye-watering $963.7 million (£798.9m) today. It was also the highest-grossing movie of 2000, beating off competition from the likes of Gladiator and X-Men.
Taking second place is Top Gun. The 80s classic made $357.3 million at the box office, which is a staggering $970.6 million (£804.5m) in today’s money.
Unsurprisingly, it was also the highest-grossing movie of 1986, coming out on top above movies like The Karate Kid Part II and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
And with box office results like that, we're amazed it took 36 years for a sequel to be released...
Fans had to wait more than three decades for a sequel to the 80s classic Top Gun, with the highly anticipated Top Gun: Maverick finally hitting the big screen in May 2022.
The film pulled in almost $1.5 billion (£1.2bn) globally, despite being banned in China and Russia, making it the highest-grossing Cruise flick of all time.
The action-packed sequel was also the second highest-grossing 2022 release, defeated only by Avatar: The Way of Water.
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