This holiday season, Academy Award-nominated actor and fearless daredevil Tom Cruise had a very special message for fans after he delivered it via "air male."
And unlike his previous delivery fail with a blown-up holiday cake that went viral, this special delivery attempt soared to thrilling heights.
The officially licensed flying pilot since 1994 expressed his gratitude for moviegoers making Top Gun: Maverick a box office smash and critical success.
To dramatically show just how grateful he was for audiences physically going to theaters this year in support of the follow-up to 1986's Top Gun, Cruise took to the skies over South Africa and jumped off a helicopter to make his heartfelt declaration.
Cruise is currently in production filming the next two installments in the Mission: Impossible franchise–Dead Reckoning Part One & Two.
Before tumbling into the atmosphere, Cruise thanked fans for giving him and his crew a chance to entertain–which he considered "the honor of a lifetime."
Cruise said as he was hurtling through the skies:
"I’m running out of altitude, so I’ve got to get back to work. We’ve got to get this shot."
"You have a very safe and happy holiday. We’ll see you at the movies.”
Mission: Impossible director Christoper McQuarrie made a cameo in the video as a passenger in the aircraft, and he playfully told the A-lister while tapping on his watch:
"Hey, we gotta roll, we gotta get this shot."
The death-defying stunt was filmed as Cruise and McQuarrie reunited to work on Dead Reckoning Part One.
McQuarrie previously directed the fifth and sixth films in the MI franchise–2015’s Rogue Nation and 2018’s Fallout.
When asked if he was tagging along for the airborne stunt, McQuarrie told Cruise:
"Not on your life. Good luck."
With a fist bump and a double thumbs up from the MI director, Cruise dangled off the side of the helicopter and delivered his holiday message of thanks to fans for supporting Maverick as he and the aircraft flew across the danger zone.
And with that, Cruise was released for his free-fall and presumably safe landing back on terra firma.
Fans gave props to Cruise for his grand gesture, his general affableness in Hollywood, and for the political neutrality depicted in his blockbuster films.
Top Gun: Maverick –which was also co-written by McQuarrie along with Ehren Kruger, and Eric Warren Singer from a story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks–earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama, and the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Picture.
Fans and critics cited the sequel in which Cruise reprised his character, naval aviator Maverick, as superior to its predecessor, Top Gun.
Maverick has grossed $1.488 billion worldwide and became the highest-grossing film of 2022.
It is also reportedly the highest-grossing film of Cruise's career.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is scheduled for a July 14, 2023 US opening.
