Tom Cruise signs autographs during the Sky Cruise.
IMAGE.NET

Tom Cruise flies with 40 fans to Osaka for preview of 'Valkyrie'

Friday 13th March, 09:14 AM JST

OSAKA —

Actor Tom Cruise, 46, flew 40 lucky fans to Osaka on Thursday for a preview of his upcoming movie “Valkyrie,” which opens in cinemas nationwide on March 20. The 40 were chosen by lottery from 3,000 applications for the Sky Cruise.

The chartered JAL aircraft, which had the movie’s title painted on the outside, left Haneda Airport in Tokyo around 4 p.m. and landed at the Kansai International Airport about an hour later. Cruise chatted with the guests while signing autographs and posing for photos, and said he was impressed by the view of Mount Fuji from the sky.

Cruise then attended the special preview held in Sakai City with about 500 fans, before flying back to the U.S. Cruise arrived in Japan on March 8, and including the helicopter he used to fly to Tokyo from Narita, and the chartered flight to Osaka on Thursday, the total estimated cost of his promotion expenses reportedly came to around 200 million yen.

News reports

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Latest 15 of 22 Total Comments Show All

memyselfI at 01:53 PM JST - 13th March

How tall is Tom Cruise ? Does anybody know ?
Pump24 at 03:32 PM JST - 13th March

He's listed as 5ft 7inches. Around 170cm.
IchyaWarFare at 06:14 PM JST - 13th March

I actually think that is cool. Put money back into the economy, of course in big wigs wallets, but he performed "fan service" and actually interacted with people for a change.
moonbeams at 06:35 PM JST - 13th March

I just can't get into movies where everyone speaks English instead of the local language.
soldave at 06:38 PM JST - 13th March

So what happened to the other 10 who were with him?

Moderator: There were only 40 guests.
YangYong at 10:39 PM JST - 13th March

How many guests then? 50 or 60?

Moderator: 40.
jeffrey at 01:00 AM JST - 14th March

That's one way to get people to go see a crappy movie.
jeffrey at 01:31 AM JST - 14th March

Cruise has a bit of the good-looking gaijin English teacher about him - Japanese with little or no experience with foreigners have no idea that he's a weirdo. He's attractive and seems nice, but really he's a creep.
Ranger_Miffy at 06:08 PM JST - 14th March

Wow Jeffry. I think you've nailed TC's attraction exactly. "good looking gaijin English teacher"...hilarious!
presto345 at 06:17 PM JST - 14th March

I just can't get into movies where everyone speaks English instead of the local language.

So don't go. In Germany all movies (on TV) are dubbed in German. In Japan most movies on TV are dubbed in Japanese. Most people seem to go for that.

He's attractive and seems nice, but really he's a creep.

How much time have you spent with him?

I am going to see this movie because the history interests me. I've seen documentaries about the assassination plot and I'd like to see how this is put into perspective in the film. Japan is an important market for Hollywood movies and Hollywood knows it. What Cruise did to promote the film is cool, I think. I appreciate him as an actor. What he does in his free time is none of my business, nor yours.
likeitis at 08:07 PM JST - 14th March

timorborder: So to get this straight, this is a movie in which one wacko acts the part of being a true German hero who was trying to assassinate another wacko?

Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg gave his life trying to kill one of the most evil and dangerous men in history and nearly succeeded. There was important and dangerous work to be done and he rose to the occasion. Have some respect.

If only Cruise had had some respect and not played the man as per the wishes of the von Stauffenberg family. There are already good movies about the plot. I recommend Stauffenberg (2004) featuring Sebastian Koch. Its a German film and its in....German!
Sarge at 10:50 PM JST - 14th March

Cruise is cool.
likeitis at 01:42 PM JST - 15th March

timorborder, Ah, I misread your post. A thousand apologies. I see now that the one you call whackos are Cruise and Hitler, while you call Stauffenberg a hero. Well said.
timorborder at 04:01 PM JST - 15th March

Likeitis: No problems, English can be a trial sometimes, even for those of us who speak it as our native tongue. Oh, and Americans also :)
LoveUSA at 11:31 PM JST - 16th March

Cruise is cool.

men like him make me sad...