Kurt Russell sent a note of encouragement to Tom Cruise following the success of Top Gun: Maverick, expressing his belief that the film was vital in reviving the theatrical moviegoing experience after a period of decline exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Russell revealed the gesture in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, stating he felt the film was “the type of movie that we needed to try and get the movie business back on track,” a business he observed had been “struggling” since audiences grew accustomed to at-home entertainment during pandemic lockdowns. Top Gun: Maverick, released in 2022, earned nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, becoming the second-highest grossing film of that year, trailing only Avatar: The Way of Water’s $2.3 billion haul. As of February 2026, it ranks as the 15th highest-grossing movie of all time.
The film’s success resonated throughout the industry. Director Steven Spielberg notably credited Cruise with “saving Hollywood’s a–” and potentially “saving the entire theatrical industry,” according to reports at the time.
Russell and Cruise have a pre-existing professional relationship, having co-starred in Cameron Crowe’s 2001 film, Vanilla Sky. Beyond their on-screen collaboration, Russell also shared that he personally instructed Cruise in the fundamentals of flying airplanes, initially sparked by Cruise’s enthusiasm following his work on the original Top Gun in 1986. This training ultimately enabled Cruise to perform many of the aerial maneuvers himself in Maverick, a departure from the original film where he did not pilot the aircraft.
Cruise is currently in production on a third Top Gun installment and is also slated to appear in the black comedy Digger, scheduled for release later in 2026.
