Tom Cruise Sets Guinness World Record For Death-Defying ‘Mission Impossible’ Stunt

Just when we thought Tom Cruise’s stunts had reached their peak, he set a Guinness World Record for a death-defying “Mission: Impossible” stunt.

The actor made history for the climatic moment in “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” which featured the star grabbing a parachute from a damaged biplane and leaping out just as his main chute ignites into flames.

Most burning parachute jumps by an individual – 16🪂🔥

Congratulations @TomCruise 👏 pic.twitter.com/AkHBtKFlrP

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) June 5, 2025

The stunt involved Cruise jumping out of a helicopter at least 7,500 feet in Drakensberg, South Africa, with a parachute soaked in fuel and designed to be set ablaze, according to Guinness World Records Thursday.

Cruise remarkably set the record by performing the dangerous stunt a total of 16 times.

The Guinness Book of World Records declared Cruise’s stunt set a record for “the most burning parachute jumps by an individual.”

The wild clip shows Cruises’ character, Ethan Hunt, as he cut away his main chute and deployed his reserve chute at the last second, giving fans the adrenaline rush they’ve come to expect from the 62-year-old actor.

“What I’m going to do is I’m going to be deploying,” Cruise explained in a Paramount Pictures video. “[And] if this is twisted while it’s burning, I’m going to be spinning and burning. I have to kick out of the twist and then ignite. I got 10 seconds.”

US actor and producer Tom Cruise poses during a photocall for the film “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 14, 2025. (Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)

“Tom is no stranger to record breaking,” Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, stated. (RELATED: Tom Cruise Announces He Is Not Retiring From Hollywood)

“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 $100 million movies on their resume and the most successful leading action hero at the worldwide box office.”