2024 Summer Olympics It's officially over and Tom Cruise has left them behind with a stunt that could also serve as next year's commercial Mission: Impossible more. And this time he didn't even break his leg.
It’s no surprise that the one who will make the switch between the 2024 games and the 2028 event in Los Angeles is a film buff. No one still alive represents Hollywood more than Cruise, and if anyone were to leap from the stadium rafters for a hockey-like publicity stunt, it would be the guy who regularly steals the camera outside theaters to keep the dream of the double-screen matinee alive.
After tumbling down the Stade de France podium and taking to the stage to lead the Olympic torch relay between Paris and Los Angeles, Cruise mounted the Olympic flag on a motorbike and rode off into the night. A pre-filmed segment was then shown of Cruise arriving in the United States by plane, where he was eventually spotted by a converted Hollywood Hills sign. The closing ceremony concluded with a concert in Venice Beach, featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre. “Can't Stop” and “Drop It Like It's Hot”, both now 20 years old, were performed.
Before the handover ceremony, Cruise was seen at other matches throughout the Summer Olympics, most notably the women's soccer final, where he joined in with a thunderous ovation in his large, dark aviator sunglasses as Mallory Swanson sealed the US national team's victory with a stunning goal in the 57th minute. But it was Cruise who got the applause last night, a huge show of appreciation for his roller-coaster ride to become the world's last great movie star.
The 2024 Summer Olympics felt like an unlikely throwback to the days when everyone watched and reacted to the same blockbuster movie, TV show or sporting event, something Cruise has now made his life's mission.