Do you know that if Tom Cruise ever stopped running, his movies might just flop? Okay, maybe not literally, but hear this—there’s actual science behind it. A study says the more Cruise sprints in a film, the bigger the box office bang. Coincidence? We think not.
It all started as a meme: “Man, Tom Cruise really runs a lot in his movies.” Then Cruise himself jumped on the joke, adding “Running in movies since 1981” to his Twitter bio. Fast forward to Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which is basically a Tom Cruise marathon, and boom—Rotten Tomatoes hit us with a study proving that Cruise’s running is, like, directly tied to movie success.
Here’s how they did it: They tracked every second Cruise spent running on screen (because, why not?) and calculated how far he ran, assuming he was clocking a six-minute mile (that’s 14.6 feet per second, in case you’re wondering). And the results? Movies where Cruise runs over 1,000 feet averaged a 71% on the Tomatometer and pulled in around $538 million internationally. That’s some solid evidence that running equals cash.
Now, let’s break it down: Movies where Tom Cruise doesn’t run much (looking at you, Magnolia, Lions for Lambs, Tropic Thunder, and Valkyrie) had a lower Tomatometer score (63.5%). Even when he runs 1 to 500 feet, it’s not the magic number—those films only pulled a 61.05%. But when Cruise runs 501 to 1,000 feet? Just shy of 62%. It’s nothing too wild, but still solid.
What’s even wilder? Cruise is running more than ever—and he’s 56! Fallout wasn’t part of the study, but you bet it would’ve pushed the numbers even higher. Let’s take a look at the top 10 films where Cruise ran the most (according to Rotten Tomatoes):
- Mission: Impossible III — 3,212 feet
- Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol — 3,066 feet
- War of the Worlds — 1,752 feet
- Minority Report — 1,562 feet
- The Firm — 1,241 feet
- Edge of Tomorrow — 1,065 feet
- Jack Reacher: Never Go Back — 1,051 feet
- The Mummy — 1,022 feet
- Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation — 1,007 feet
- Vanilla Sky — 832 feet
And here’s the kicker: His top-grossing flicks are all huge on the running front—Mission: Impossible III ($134 million), Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol ($209 million), and War of the Worlds ($234 million). Coincidence? I think not.
So, next time you catch a Tom Cruise flick, just know—his bank account grows with every mile he clocks. And let’s be real, watching him run? It’s like cinema’s version of cardio gold. Never gets old.
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