MOVIE NEWS – If asked which Tom Cruise film had the most expensive opening scene, most would name a Mission: Impossible entry. But according to Collider, the real answer lies in a psychological thriller that cost $1 million just for its first few minutes.

It wasn’t a bombastic action flick but the 2001 psychological drama Vanilla Sky that gave Cruise his priciest intro. The reason? The crew paid $1 million to shoot an eerie, deserted sequence in the middle of New York City’s bustling Times Square. Closing off that iconic location required direct negotiation with then-mayor Rudy Giuliani, and it wasn’t easy — Cruise and two producers had to make a personal appeal to get just three early-morning hours.

Director Cameron Crowe insisted on the scene to capture the unsettling tone of the film. A completely empty Times Square, normally packed with life, signals that the story will take us into distorted perceptions of reality — something far beyond the typical movie narrative.

Meanwhile, Cruise’s latest movie, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, doesn’t shy away from spectacle either. The team clearly went all in, with nonstop action set pieces and cinematic ambition meant to outdo the entire franchise. Critics were mostly impressed (RottenTomatoes: 79%), and analysts predicted a $70–85 million opening weekend in North America over the Memorial Day holiday.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning is now playing in theaters.