Why one scene in 'underrated’ Tom Cruise thriller you can stream now cost staggering $1 million to shoot

An 'iconic' single scene of 'pure filmmaking' in one of Tom Cruise's 'most underrated' movies cost over $1 million to film.

If you sprinted to watch Mission: Impossible -The Final Reckoning as soon as it was released into movie theaters and have already read UNILAD RANKED's top five roles of Tom Cruise's career, then fear not because there's another 'favorite' that's about to get added to your list.

Coming in with yet another thriller - shocker - a 2001 sci-fi release sees Cruise reunite with Jerry Maguire's Cameron Crowe.

Crowe wrote, co-produced and directed Vanilla Sky and ultimately also made the final call to rack up a hefty one million dollar bill - and all just for one scene with Cruise flying solo.

But why and how?

Vanilla Sky's opening scene cost over $1 million to film (Paramount Pictures)

Why a single scene in Vanilla Sky cost over $1 million to film

The film's opening scene sees Cruise's character run through Times Square set to the sound of Radiohead's 'Everything In Its Right Place'. And the filmmakers went to great - and certainly expensive - lengths to ensure everything was, indeed, in its right place.

Given it's Cruise, it's not a massive shock to hear that instead of using computer-generated imagery (CGI), filmmakers resolved to very much genuinely film the scene in Times Square.

The problem? Well, shutting down the very center of the Big Apple is no easy feat. Nevertheless, director Crowe made the call to organize for the whole of the very center of the Big Apple to be shut down for three hours one Sunday morning.

Unsurprisingly, this cost a fair whack to do—with Collider reporting a figure of $1 million and above—and the film also had to seek the permission of then-mayor Rudy Giuliani.

During an interview with Vulture, Crowe explained that Giuliani's 'people' agreed the film was 'good to go' with shooting in Times Square - but on the 'condition' it only took three hours tops, with someone having 'done research' on the director and hearing that he does 'a lot of takes'.

It's reported that Cruise and Crowe rehearsed a lot before the big day, and even then, they did multiple takes of the scene.

IMDB notes that during the scene, if you look really carefully when Cruise's character is running next to a building with glass walls, you'll notice a line of people at the window watching the movie in production.

Crowe reportedly considered digitally removing them but decided it fit Vanilla Sky's theme of 'subtle paranoia'.

So, what is the film actually about?

The scene sees Cruise run through Times Square (Paramount Pictures)

What is Vanilla Sky about?

Vanilla Sky is an English-language remake of Alejandro Amenábar's 1997 Spanish film Open Your Eyes - written by Amenábar and Mateo Gil.

Alongside Cruise, the thriller stars Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Jason Lee, and Kurt Russell. And the film even features an original song by Paul McCartney.

The story centers around Cruise's character of the vain publishing magnate David Aames who ends up undergoing surgery for a facial disfigurement. However, after the operation, he starts to experience life in a remarkably different way - the question is, will it be for the better or worse?

Granted, with a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score of 42 percent and Popcornmeter of 72, it doesn't seem the most enticing.

But many viewers have stood up in defense of the film, one even calling it 'one of [Cruise's] most underrated performances' and others praising the opening scene in particular.

Vanilla Sky also stars Cameron Diaz (Paramount Pictures)

What are viewers saying about Vanilla Sky?

One Twitter user wrote: "That scene always gives me nightmares, " while another added: "Big Cruise fan and I’m not ashamed to say this is my favorite."

A third commented: "Iconic moment, pure filmmaking."

"This was a good movie, Tom's acting ability is criminally underrated," a fourth said. And a fifth resolved: "Tom Cruise running = Absolute Cinema."

Wondering where you catch the film if you've not yet seen Vanilla Sky?

Where can you stream Vanilla Sky?

Vanilla Sky is currently available to stream with a subscription on Paramount+, Amazon Prime, YouTube and NOW.