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Cruise outshines Oscars rivals as Academy readies for award show
Tom Cruise lived up to his billing as the "last true movie star" as nearly 200 of this year's Oscar nominees gathered to celebrate at the Academy's boozy annual luncheon Monday.
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(L-R) Malala Yousafzai and Tom Cruise attend the 95th Annual Oscars Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton on February 13, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (AFP/Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
T
om Cruise lived up to his billing as the "last true movie star" as nearly 200 of this year's Oscar nominees gathered to celebrate -- and size up their competition -- at the Academy's boozy annual luncheon Monday.
In a room packed with A-listers such as Steven Spielberg and Cate Blanchett, there was no doubt Cruise remained the biggest draw, with a crowd of wellwishers from Hollywood moguls to Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai lining up to greet him throughout the event.
Cruise is nominated this year as a producer of Top Gun: Maverick, in which he also starred. The film is considered a growing frontrunner for the best picture Oscar -- Hollywood's most prestigious prize.
"It's been incredible... I just want to get people into theaters," Cruise told AFP.
"But this is lovely," he admitted, motioning to the Beverly Hills ballroom, packed with Oscar nominees and Academy voters, and kitted out with giant golden statuettes and open champagne bars.
The 95th Academy Awards will be held on March 12.
Academy voters this year handed out various nominations for box office smash hits such as Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever -- raising hopes that Oscars TV audiences will pick back up.
