War of the Worlds (2005)

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Inside Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise’s Infamous Feud

Almost 20 years ago, War of the Worlds premiered. And the movie not only promised the potential doom of the human race against extraterrestrial intelligence but also spelled a brewing feud between the director and his leading man. Steven Spielberg is not a man of many words and he wastes even less on explaining to his actors their duties of promoting a film once they are off his set.

Tom Cruise’s infamous Oprah appearance in 2005 has essentially haunted popular culture for over a decade of the actor’s disturbingly out-of-place and over-the-top admission of his love for Katie Holmes. But it seems as though the audience is not the only ones still thinking about the moment (and not in a fun, nostalgic way). Steven Spielberg ranks among the annoyed audience, too.

Steven Spielberg with Tom Cruise on War of the Worlds set

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The Oprah appearance which was essentially meant to serve as a promotional interview for Spielberg and Cruise’s then-upcoming film, War of the Worlds instead presented as an episode from the rom-com that was Tom Cruise’s life. Spielberg was understandably annoyed when the film later underperformed at the box office, fetching $600 million in worldwide earnings, $60 million less than what was expected.

Rumors later followed in the wake of the underwhelming box office performance that Steven Spielberg had attempted to reason with some of the beliefs of his lead actor when it came to Scientology which further fueled the discord between the pair.

Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise Attempt a ReconciliationTom Cruise and Steven Spielberg at the Oscars luncheon

Also read: Steven Spielberg Praised Top Gun 2 Star Tom Cruise for “Saving Hollywood’s A**” By Not Bending Over to Streaming Giants: “You might have saved theatrical distribution”

At the 95th Academy Awards, Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise thawed their 20-year-long feud by finally and publicly hugging it out, so to speak. The reconciliation which took place at the Oscars luncheon witnessed Spielberg acknowledging Tom Cruise’s contribution toward saving the theatre business with the 2022 film, Top Gun: Maverick. The reports claim that the director told Cruise, “You saved Hollywood’s a***, and you might have saved theatrical distribution.” 

War of the Worlds is available for streaming on Paramount+