Tom Cruise has once again pushed the limits of action filmmaking.
The four-time Academy Award nominee has officially earned a Guinness World Record for completing 16 parachute jumps while the canopy was actively on fire—a high-risk stunt featured in “Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning.”
The record, awarded on June 4, recognizes Cruise as the individual with the “most burning parachute jumps” ever completed.
“Tom doesn’t just play action heroes—he is an action hero,”
said Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records. “A large part of his success can be chalked up to his absolute focus on authenticity and pushing the boundaries of what a leading man can do. It’s an honour to be able to recognize his utter fearlessness with this new Guinness World Records title.”
According to Guinness, the aerial sequence involved Cruise jumping from a helicopter at more than 7,500 feet, equipped with a parachute soaked in fuel and ignited mid-air. He had approximately three seconds to cut away from the burning canopy before it disintegrated and deploy a backup parachute.
The stunt appears in the climactic plane sequence of the eighth installment of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, which Cruise has led since 1996.
“If this is twisted while it’s burning, I’m going to be spinning and burnt,” Cruise says in a behind-the-scenes
featurette released by Paramount Pictures. “We’re going to be real smart. I’m not saying be risky—we don’t take risks, obviously,” he adds with a smirk.
This marks the actor’s second Guinness World Record. Cruise previously received recognition for holding the record for “most consecutive $100-million-grossing movies,” beginning with 2012’s “Jack Reacher” and continuing through 2025’s “The Final Reckoning.”
“This weekend was one for the history books,” Cruise
wrote on social media following the film’s release. “Congratulations and thank you to every filmmaker, every artist, every crew member who works at the studios.”
He continued, “And most of all, THANK YOU to audiences everywhere—for whom we all serve and for whom we all LOVE to entertain.”
Cruise’s insistence on performing his own practical stunts has become a hallmark of his career. Throughout the “Mission: Impossible” series, he has scaled skyscrapers, clung to the exterior of aircraft, driven motorcycles off cliffs, and piloted military jets—all without the use of a stunt double.
The latest installment opened over Memorial Day weekend and earned more than $64 million domestically during its debut, marking the highest domestic opening in the franchise’s history. As of this week, the film has grossed more than $395 million worldwide,
according to Box Office Mojo.
Although “The Final Reckoning” has been promoted as Cruise’s last appearance as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, the actor has not confirmed whether he intends to permanently step away from the role.
During a master class at the Cannes Film Festival, Cruise said, “I’d rather just people see it and enjoy, and we’ve had an amazing time doing it and it’s been a lot of fun and I just want you all to enjoy it,” he said, Variety
reported. “Enjoy this and know everything is the culmination that has come to this moment right now.”
