Tom Cruise opened his highly anticipated CinemaCon appearance on Thursday with a moving tribute to his “Top Gun” co-star, Val Kilmer, who died Tuesday in Los Angeles.
“He loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us with his performances and his films,” Cruise said to a room full of movie theatre owners.
“I really can’t tell you how much I admired his work, how much I thought of him as a human being, and how grateful and honoured I was when he joined ‘Top Gun’ and then came back for ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’”
Cruise called for a moment of silence, which stood in stark contrast to the otherwise action-packed presentation of Paramount Pictures’ upcoming movies.
“Thank you, Val. I wish you well on your next journey,” he said to the silent room.
‘Batman’ star Val Kilmer dies at 65
Cruise was there to hype “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” the eighth instalment of the franchise set to hit theatres May 23.
Given that the 62-year-old is one of the rare stars who is still a near-guarantee for box office success, Cruise is an unsurprising darling of the annual convention and trade show in Las Vegas, where studios hype up cinemas and seek to convince theatre owners they can lure audiences out of the house.