Steven Spielberg Just Gave Tom Cruise Some Insanely High Praise During Hug At Oscars Luncheon

Steven Spielberg just gave Tom Cruise the compliment of a lifetime and it was all caught on camera.

During a luncheon for Oscar nominees this week, the notable director told Cruise he "saved Hollywood's a**" with the success of Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick which raked in nearly $1.5 billion worldwide.

The two hugged upon greeting each other when Spielberg gushed:

"You saved Hollywood’s a**.”

“And you might have saved theatrical distribution. Seriously, ‘Maverick’ might have saved the entire theatrical industry.”

Wow!

Cruise was obviously flattered as he beamed and thanked The Fabelmans director for the insanely high praise.

You can watch the moment below.

WARNING: NSFW language

Many viewers of the moment agreed with Spielberg.

Several stated Maverick was the film that made them return to the theater after the pandemic kept them away.

A few even noted Top Gun: Maverick was not the highest-grossing film since the beginning of the pandemic as Spiderman: No Way Home and Avatar: Way of the Water banked a little more.

But it was the film that attracted a broader audience—most notably older, nostalgic patrons—to the theaters.

And others made the point that during the COVID lockdown many movies were going straight to streaming services.

Cruise's and Spielberg's films will go toe to toe for Best Picture at the Oscars next month along with James Cameron's Avatar sequel.

But Cruise should consider Spielberg's extremely kind words a win.