Us Explains Tom Cruise’s Viral Popcorn Meme and the Lore Behind It

Tom Cruise recently set the internet ablaze not for his epic stunt skills but because of his affinity for popcorn.

Cruise got the internet’s attention when he noticed a fan in the front row for a screening of his new movie, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, was tragically out of the beloved movie snack.

“You ate all your popcorn already!” Cruise chided the moviegoer before encouraging them to “go get some more.”

After that clip made waves online, another fan took to social media to weigh in on Cruise’s obsession with popcorn.

“To add onto the Tom/popcorn lore: I need y’all to realize THIS is how he eats popcorn,” the social media user captioned a video of Cruise enthusiastically eating popcorn during a 2018 screening of Mission: Impossible — Fallout.

While hanging out on the side of the theater, Cruise went to town on a bucket of popcorn, shoving pieces into his mouth and occasionally dropping some to the floor. After the clip resurfaced, many fans took to the comments section to share their thoughts on how Cruise consumes his go-to snack.

In addition to the discourse, more instances of Cruise and popcorn emerged online, including a 2023 promotional video for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.

“I love my popcorn. Movies. Popcorn,” Cruise said as he ate from a large bucket of the snack on a leather sofa. “Four cities. Four screenings. We had so much fun at the first fan screenings for Mission: Impossible! Thank you to everyone who came out.”

Keep scrolling as Us explains why Cruise’s love for popcorn took the internet by storm:

The Key Players

Cruise attended a fan screening for his new movie Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. Writer Todd Spence shared a clip online of Cruise chatting with an unnamed fan about popcorn. Another fan, who goes by the username @seifwtf, added more to the popcorn lore online.

The Gist

While at the May 2025 screening at BFI IMAX in London, an unnamed fan was in the audience with an empty bucket of popcorn. Before taking the stage, Cruise saw the fan in the audience and pointed out he needed to get some more popcorn before the movie started.

After that interaction got shared online, @seifwtf shared a throwback clip of Cruise chowing down on popcorn during a screening of Mission: Impossible — Fallout in 2018.

Why It’s a Big Deal

Spence’s post quickly went viral, and other instances of Cruise eating popcorn resurfaced, causing more fanfare. During a later appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Cruise was asked by Darius Butler whether he really eats popcorn that way. Cruise owned his love for the ultimate movie snack.

“Man, I’m eating popcorn,” Cruise said as he laughed. “They know when I’m going to these movies that I’m watching, I’m eating popcorn.”

What People Are Saying

The clip took the internet by storm, and fans didn’t hold back their thoughts by providing hysterical commentary.

“This is how my dad eats popcorn,” one user commented, while another added, “Tom Cruise eating popcorn like he an uncle with a handful of peanuts.”

Butler, for his part, also shared his reaction to Cruise himself.

“I’ve never seen anyone eat popcorn [like] this,” Butler said to the actor. “Are you actually eating popcorn or are you full of s*** right here, TC? I’ve got to know.”

Other fans have pointed out that Cruise’s love of popcorn is just one manifestation of his unshakeable love for the experience of watching movies in a theater. The popcorn thing is a joke, but it’s also proof that no one in Hollywood is as happy making movies and watching them as he is. As the man himself told The Hollywood Reporter: “I’m going to make movies into my 80s; actually, I’m going to make them into my 100s.”

What We’re Saying

Cruise clearly loves popcorn just as much as he loves doing his own stunts.

What’s Next

Cruise will most likely continue to enjoy his favorite movie snack. Who knows — maybe a popcorn-themed partnership could be in his future!