Tom Cruise sets Guinness World Record for most burning parachute jumps in ‘Mission: Impossible 8’

Los Angeles: Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise has earned a Guinness World Record for performing the most burning parachute jumps by an individual, executing the feat 16 times during the filming of his latest movie, "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning".

The film, which released in theatres worldwide in June, featured a daring sequence in the final moments where Cruise, a licensed skydiver, leapt from a helicopter while strapped to a parachute soaked in aviation fuel and set ablaze.

He performed the stunt 16 times and after each jump, he cut away the burning parachute and deployed a backup to land safely.

“Tom doesn't just play action heroes – he is an action hero," Craig Glenday, Editor-in-Chief of Guinness World Records, said in a statement posted on the official website.

“A large part of his success can be chalked up to his absolute focus on authenticity and pushing the boundaries of what a leading man can do. It's an honour to be able to recognise his utter fearlessness with this new Guinness World Records title.” In the scene from "The Final Reckoning", Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, battled the movie's antagonist Gabriel (Esai Morales) for the control of an AI entity aboard 1940s biplanes above South Africa’s Drakensberg mountains.

Some takes were filmed with a 50-pound camera rig attached to Cruise for close-up shots during freefall.

The record adds to Cruise’s previous accolades, including having the most consecutive USD 100-million-grossing films.

The actor, who debuted as a leading man in "Risky Business" (1983) and has starred in over 30 films since, delivered 11 hits -- from "Jack Reacher" (2012) to "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" (2025).

“Tom is no stranger to record breaking. Over his impressively long and consistent career, he's proved himself to be the most powerful actor in Hollywood and the most bankable star, and he's still the actor with the most consecutive USD 100 million movies on their resume and the most successful leading action hero at the worldwide box office," Craig said.

Cruise, who first portrayed Ethan Hunt in Brian De Palma’s "Mission: Impossible" (1996), has consistently delivered high-octane cinematic thrills with each installment of the franchise.

He has redefined the art of stunt work -- leaping between buildings in "Mission: Impossible III" (2006), scaling Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in "Ghost Protocol" (2011), clinging to the side of a flying plane in "Rogue Nation" (2015), and riding a motorcycle off a cliff in "Dead Reckoning" (2023).

"Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The film also stars Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Pom Klementieff, and Angela Bassett.