Tom Cruise pulls off a surprise rooftop stunt at BFI IMAX in London ahead of 'Mission: Impossible' premiere

Tom Cruise doesn’t do quiet appearances, and his recent visit to London proved that once again. While in town to accept the British Film Institute’s highest honour, the BFI Fellowship, the actor casually showed up on the roof of the BFI IMAX cinema, dressed in a suit and looking right at home towering above the city.

The IMAX dome, currently wrapped in a massive ad for his upcoming film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, became Cruise’s stage for an unexpected moment that instantly grabbed attention. While there’s no word yet on how he got up there, sources close to the actor confirmed it was him. Passers-by captured footage of Cruise standing calmly above the theatre, bringing that movie-style spectacle swag with real-life charm.

This impromptu appearance came just after Cruise participated in a discussion about his career at the BFI and introduced a screening of Mission: Impossible – Fallout. During the conversation, he talked about working with long-time collaborator Christopher McQuarrie and shared how they shaped the franchise’s most memorable scenes, including the famous “blue is glue, red is dead” moment.

The rooftop stunt wasn’t part of any official event but served as an unplanned curtain-raiser for Dead Reckoning, which premieres at the Cannes Film Festival this week. The film, the eighth in the series, follows Ethan Hunt as he and his team attempt to take down a powerful AI threat. It’s the continuation of the plot from the previous movie and promises big set pieces, globe-trotting action, and the emotional weight of a closing chapter.

Cruise will walk the red carpet in Cannes alongside McQuarrie and the cast, where the film will be screened out of competition on 14 May. UK audiences can catch it in cinemas from 17 May, with releases in multiple languages including Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Receiving the BFI Fellowship places Cruise among industry greats like Satyajit Ray, Martin Scorsese, and Tilda Swinton. But unlike anyone else, he marked the occasion by climbing onto a rooftop. It’s not just a stunt for the fans, right? It’s Tom Cruise doing what only Tom Cruise can: turning even a film promotion into an iconic moment.