A short but expensive scene in a thriller with Tom Cruise was filmed over 20 years ago without any special effects.
Which movie is it? A scene in the thriller Vanilla Sky (2001) by Cameron Crowe, starring Tom Cruise, is one of the most expensive scenes in film history – and this is despite it only lasting 30 seconds and showing Tom Cruise just running around. There were no special effects, no action, and no stunts performed by Cruise.
An empty Times Square for a whopping 1 million euros
What kind of scene is it? The film Vanilla Sky, which also stars Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, David Lee, and Kurt Russell, opens directly with the expensive scene. Tom Cruise, playing the wealthy playboy David Aames, steps out of his luxury sports car at the famous Times Square in New York.
But at this location, which usually overflows with crowds and traffic, there is absolute emptiness. Alone, with not a soul in sight, Tom Cruise runs around, increasingly panicking.
How was the scene created? The team had to work closely with the city of New York to obtain permits for the shoot. To close Times Square for this shot, the film crew had to dig deep into their pockets.
The cost for this three-hour shooting time amounted to a staggering 1 million euros against a budget of 62 million euros (68 million US dollars). The closure was approved on the condition that filming strictly took place within the agreed timeframe (3 hours).
Despite this limitation, everything went so smoothly that the team even finished early. Tom Cruise then continued to run through the deserted streets to capture a few more good shots.
A tribute to the original film?
Why was this choice made? Vanilla Sky is a reinterpretation of the Spanish film Open Your Eyes by Alejandro Amenábar. In the original film, there is a similar opening scene where Eduardo Noriega walks alone through the empty streets of Gran Vía in Madrid.
The creators of Vanilla Sky apparently decided to take up this iconic scene and recreate it in New York – deliberately avoiding CGI to maintain the authenticity of the scene.
And it paid off.
At the box office, the film made 203 million US dollars (approximately 184 million euros). Other films like 28 Days Later and I Am Legend have also showcased empty urban settings. Tom Cruise is known for giving his all in his films, performing his own stunts. He wanted so badly for a film to be a hit in 1996 that he gave up his salary
