Steven Spielberg says Tom Cruise’s ‘Top Gun’ sequel ‘saved Hollywood’s a–‘

From one legend to another.

Hollywood director Steven Spielberg wasted no time giving Tom Cruise his well-deserved flowers at the Academy Awards luncheon on Monday.

Pulling Cruise in for a hug, Spielberg told the 60-year-old actor that he “saved Hollywood’s a–” with his hit blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick” — which scooped up a Best Picture nomination.

“You saved Hollywood’s a–, and you might have saved theatrical distribution,” Spielberg tells Cruise in the clip. “Seriously, ’Maverick’ might have saved the entire theatrical industry.”

The film, a sequel to Cruise’s 1986 classic, grossed an eye-watering $1.48 billion worldwide since its release in May last year. It also racked up an impressive 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The pair, who previously worked together on “Minority Report” and “War of the Worlds,” shared the sweet exchange at the star-studded event, during which Cruise debuted a striking new look.

Cruise’s film, which he didn’t want to make it. earned an impressive six Oscar nominations

Director Joseph Kosinski previously revealed he had just 30 minutes to convince Cruise to star in “Top Gun: Maverick.”

“So I read the script, I had some ideas, and Jerry [Bruckheimer] liked those ideas. He said, ‘You know what, you gotta go pitch this to Tom directly,’” Kosinski told Polygon. “We flew to Paris, where Tom was shooting ‘Mission: Impossible,’ we got about a half-hour of his time between setups.”

“And I basically had 30 minutes to pitch this film, which I didn’t realize when we were flying over. But when I got there, I found that Tom really didn’t want to make another ‘Top Gun,’” he explained.

Advertisement

Advertisement

“It’s one of those moments as a director, you have one on every film, where you’re on the spot to make a case for why this movie should be made. I had 30 minutes to do it.”

Three-time Oscar winner Spielberg, 76, is also celebrating awards season in style. He’s nominated for Best Director for his semi-autobiographical drama “The Fabelmans.”

The film has been showered with critical acclaim since its release late last year. It’s up for Best Picture, and Best Actress for Michelle Williams.