Tom Cruise, ex-husband of AMC ad sensation Nicole Kidman, is emboldening moviegoers to flock to the theaters this summer.
The movie star encouraged a double feature of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, both in theaters July 21, in a Twitter post celebrating the riches of the summer movie season. That also includes James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which marks Harrison Ford’s last outing as the famed archaeologist.
“This summer is full of amazing movies to see in theaters,” Cruise wrote. “Congratulations, Harrison Ford, on 40 years of Indy and one of the most iconic characters in history. I love a double feature, and it doesn’t get more explosive (or more pink) than one with Oppenheimer and Barbie.”
Cruise will also be fronting a blockbuster this summer with Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, in theaters July 10. The pressure’s on, as Cruise’s last summer outing, Top Gun: Maverick, grossed a staggering $1.5 billion worldwide. In the aftermath of its success, filmmaker Steven Spielberg was overheard telling Cruise that he was “saving Hollywood’s ass” as the industry attempts to rebound from the pandemic.
As for the Barbie vs. Oppenheimer discourse, Matt Damon, who stars opposite Cillian Murphy in the war drama, previously encouraged a double feature, telling Vanity Fair last month, “People are allowed to go see two movies in a weekend. Oppenheimer is one of them!” As for which title his family would prefer to hit first (Damon shares four daughters with wife Luciana Barroso), he said, “I’ll have to ask them that. If that’s the case, they’ll see two movies that weekend!”