Tom Cruise’s latest daredevil act: Seeing ‘Tenet’ in a theater

One of Hollywood’s most notorious thrill seekers, none other than Tom Cruise, masked up to attend a public showing of Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” in London.

Production on the still-untitled seventh film in the producer-star’s “Mission: Impossible” franchise was halted in February due to the pandemic, just days before shooting was to begin. However, while it was reported to be greenlighted to resume in September, production apparently restarted this month in Oxfordshire — until a motorcycle stunt gone wrong stalled it again (no reported fatalities or major injuries).

Meanwhile, in a video posted to Cruise’s Twitter on Aug. 25, the star and a masked companion who looks (from the cheeks up, anyway) very much like his frequent collaborator Christopher McQuarrie (writer-director of “Mission: Impossible” installments 5, 6, 7 and — as announced — 8), ride a cab to a cinema and drop in on “Tenet.”

Above the video, Cruise included the message,”Big Movie. Big Screen. Loved It.”

In the video, which begins with a few shots of rain-soaked London landmarks through the cab window, Cruise waves back at some fans on the street, then asks the camera, “How does that happen? I’m wearing a mask.”

Getting out of the vehicle in front of a mural for Nolan’s film, he says, “Here we are ... back to the movies.”

Cruise’s video even includes a few seconds of the Warner Bros. logo at the beginning of the film and of the end credits — no word if Warner Bros. lawyers will be pursuing antipiracy action against one of the biggest stars in the world.

After applauding both the beginning and end of the film, he rises and says to his fellow attendees in the apparently socially distanced crowd, “Great to be back in a movie theater, everybody.” Someone asks as he passes, “Did you enjoy the film?” and he responds, “I loved it. I loved it.”

The video racked up more than 965,000 views in about four hours and about 33,000 likes, though one comment criticized Cruise for wearing a mask with a vent on it. Others said such masks are still safe for those around the user if they contain an N95 insert, but the official CDC guidance says such valves should be covered with a “surgical or procedure mask that does not interfere with respirator fit.”

Cruise’s next scheduled theatrical release, the sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” was originally due to open June 26 before moving to Dec. 23 because of coronavirus shutdowns. Just last month it was pushed to July 2, 2021.