Silver screen staple Tom Cruise is one of Hollywood’s most entertaining leading men and a certified action superstar, with an illustrious career spanning four decades and countless big screen knockouts. In 1996, he proved himself to be one of the industry’s most fearless and devoted actors when he began portraying super spy Ethan Craft in the blockbuster Mission: Impossible franchise, dazzling audiences with his gravity-defying stunts and commitment to his craft.

2000’s Mission: Impossible II proved to be a major triumph for Cruise, as the electrifying sequel dominated the box office and its competition and became the highest-grossing movie of the year, raking in more than $546 million and further cementing Cruise’s status as the cinema’s biggest daredevil. Though Cruise would go on to star in a slew of hits like Collateral, War of the Worlds, and Top Gun: Maverick, the celebrated performer has been unable to achieve the same feat he did with the spectacular sequel 24-years-ago.

Tom Cruise’s Blockbuster Action Spy Franchise

Hollywood leading man Tom Cruise began to masterfully transform himself into one of the cinema’s most electrifying action movie stars when he began portraying the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) secret agent Ethan Hunt in the sensational action spy series in 1996, with the franchise’s first installment Mission: Impossible taking audiences around the world by storm. The savvy and highly-skilled field agent carries out the government’s most dangerous and crucial missions, doing so with the help of his trusted teammates like expert computer hacker Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and fellow agent/technician Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg).

Serving as a continuation of the 1966 TV series of the same name starring Steven Hill and Peter Graves, Mission: Impossible dazzled moviegoers with its pulse-pounding action sequences and Cruise’s fearless dedication to perform gravity-defying stunts, grossing over $457 million throughout its theatrical run. The massive commercial success and positive fan reaction helped establish one of the most enduring and thrilling franchises in the entertainment industry, with the film spawning six sequels (and one set for a 2025 release) and grossing over $4.14 billion worldwide.

‘Mission: Impossible 2’ Dominates the 2000 Box Office

Riding high off the phenomenal performance of the ’96 original, Cruise reprized his role of Ethan Hunt just four short years later and returned to the screen in 2000’s Mission: Impossible 2, which featured the seasoned spy teaming up with professional thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandiwe Newton) to try and track down the rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), who possesses a potentially catastrophic biological weapon that could cause death and destruction across the globe.

Much like in all the wildly entertaining franchise entries, Cruise insisted on performing his own stunts and refused to drop the entrance scene in which his character Craft is free solo climbing at Dead Horse Point State Park, and despite studio pushback, the actor filmed the heart-stopping sequence wearing just a harness and thin wire and using no safety net. Cruise showcased his intense devotion to his craft and amped up the danger aspect with each sequel, with his hard work once again paying off as Mission: Impossible 2 dominated the box office when it premiered on May 24, 2000.

Mission: Impossible 2 faced some stiff competition that year and squared off against some truly spectacular cinematic knockouts, like Gladiator, Cast Away, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, but the action flick ended up outperforming these high-profile movies and bowed out at the box office with earnings of $546.3 million, managing to beat out Ridley Scott’s historical epic which grossed $465.5 million. Despite a mixed bag reaction from critics, who felt the sequel relied on style over substance, Mission: Impossible 2 became the last time Tom Cruise had the highest-grossing film of the year (although he got close yet again in 2022).

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Helped Cruise Come Close Yet Again

Tom Cruise is no stranger to serving up brilliant performances of all shapes and sizes, as he has mastered both dramatic and comedic performances (and everything in between) throughout his prolific 40-year career. The Hollywood icon skyrocketed to superstardom in the ’80s with unforgettable roles in The Outsiders, Risky Business, Top Gun, and Rain Man, and continued being a major force to be reckoned with in the ensuing decade when he starred in commercial hits like A Few Good Men, Interview with the Vampire, and Jerry Maguire.

The recipient of countless accolades, including four Golden Globe Awards, an Honorary Palme d’Or, and four Oscar nominations, Cruise has remained a constant presence in Hollywood. He found even more success outside the Mission: Impossible franchise, demonstrating his range in Minority Report, Collateral, The War of the Worlds, and Edge of Tomorrow. In 2022, he almost achieved his 2000 cinematic feat when he reprised his role of Captain Peter “Maverick” Mitchell in the critically-acclaimed blockbuster extravaganza Top Gun: Maverick.

The highly-anticipated sequel to the 1986 classic, Top Gun: Maverick, follows the daring test pilot as he teaches a new group of Top Gun graduates and is forced to contend with the mistakes he’s made in the past, with the gravity-defying flick featuring the additional talents of Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, and Glen Powell. Maverick earned six Academy Award nominations (winning one) and was named the Best Film by the American Film Institute, though despite its valiant effort became the second-highest grossing movie of the year with earnings of $1.496 billion, coming in behind Avatar: The Way of Water, which grossed a whopping $2.32 billion.

Stream Mission: Impossible 2 on Paramount+.