From Tom Cruise to Brad Pitt: How Hollywood legends refined their legacy to save the 2025 box office

The world of Hollywood underwent a significant transformation in 2025. Despite the current dominance of younger ensembles and franchise fatigue, the "Hollywood Superstar" made a triumphant return this year. Throughout the seasons, the narrative at the movie office and critical conversation were driven by five seasoned actors: George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Jackie Chan, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Relatively star-driven films had a renaissance in 2025. Ne Zha 2 and Zootopia 2 may have been giant hits with audiences, but the "human element" of the box office was held up by performers whose careers spanned four decades or more. These stars assert that their brands remain robust enough to rival well-known IPs.

Tom Cruise: Ultimate action specialist

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, starring Tom Cruise, was released in May 2025. Acting as the eighth and ostensibly last entry in the lengthy espionage series, the film was a direct sequel to Dead Reckoning from 2023.

The film had an enormous opening weekend with $64 million in the US and ended up grossing around $598.8 million globally. While Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch was a formidable competitor, the new Mission: Impossible film nevertheless managed to break opening-day records. The 63-year-old Cruise nevertheless performed the high-stakes practical stunts, such as underwater scenes and aerial movements, that have come to characterise his late-career work.

ALSO READ: F1: The Movie Review: Brad Pitt, high speed, and Joseph Kosinski burn rubber on a familiar road

Filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie wrapped up the story arc regarding the AI threat known as the "Entity" in this feature film. Critics praised Cruise for giving Ethan Hunt a more sympathetic and introspective performance. The success of the film further supports the belief that he is still one of the rare actors who can attract viewers based only on his physical investment in the performance.

Jackie Chan: Global mentor

With Karate Kid: Legends (released May 2025), Jackie Chan made her triumphant return to the Karate Kid franchise. It was an innovative attempt to combine the classic series from the 1980s with the remake from 2010, reuniting Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso with Chan's Mr Han.

The worldwide earnings for the film were $117 million. Despite being considerably lower than Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning or F1, it demonstrated Jackie Chan's everlasting global appeal. Though the film's marketing primarily highlighted the chemistry between Chan and Macchio, the story revolved around the mentorship of Ben Wang's Li Fong, the film's new protagonist.

Chan played Mr Han in Legends as a wiser, older version of himself. Viewers were ready to see Chan in a more realistic martial arts performance that emphasised wisdom and character development over flashy choreography, and the film's success reflected this nostalgia-driven market.

Brad Pitt: Speed and magnetism

F1 was Joseph Kosinski's (Top Gun: Maverick) original sports drama that Brad Pitt starred in in June 2025. The film's technical accomplishments contributed greatly to its meteoric rise to cultural fame.

With a global gross of nearly $631 million, Pitt's F1 has surpassed World War Z as the highest-grossing film of his career. The critical acclaim for the actor's portrayal of Sonny Hayes, a seasoned driver who helps train a new talent portrayed by Damson Idris, contributed to the film's "laidback magnetism" and its sustained success at the box office.

During race weekends, Pitt drove actual Formula 1 cars equipped with custom-built cameras throughout Grand Prix circuits. There appears to be a pattern of seasoned actors using their star power to make expensive, "real-world" action films, similar to Cruise's approach in Top Gun: Maverick.

Leonardo DiCaprio: Prestige powerhouse

It was September 2025 when Leonardo DiCaprio and Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another came out. As a stark contrast to the summer blockbusters, this film—which drew inspiration from Thomas Pynchon's writings—offered a grimy black comedy action thriller.

Around $205 million was the film's total international gross. Its 162-minute runtime and $175 million budget made it an audacious theatrical endeavour. DiCaprio portrayed the character of "Ghetto" Pat Calhoun, also known as Bob Ferguson, a former revolutionary who lives in isolation and harbours paranoia.

Critics praised DiCaprio's performance as one of his most "unhinged" and "physical" in a long time. The film's seamless integration of intense character development with high-speed chases demonstrates the actor's continued allure as an actor for the kind of "prestige" film that necessitates a grand theatre setting. It was a good reminder that the superstar concept is applicable to both franchises and films directed by individual artists.

George Clooney: Veteran superstar

George Clooney's performance in Noah Baumbach's comedy-drama Jay Kelly was the year-ending highlight. Following its world premiere at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, the film had a limited November theatrical run before launching on Netflix in December.

Many critics dubbed Clooney's performance as the titular Jay Kelly a "meta" part; Kelly is an elderly actor who travels around Europe contemplating his family's estrangement and his legacy. Clooney was nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Globes for his role in the critically acclaimed film.

Featuring Adam Sandler in the role of Jay's manager, the film examines the isolating nature of stardom. While Pitt and Cruise mostly focused on action, Clooney's "storm" was more inwardly focused and award-orientated. As the prestigious "adult drama" industry has shifted towards digital distribution, the film's success on streaming platforms after its theatrical run proved that veteran talents are just as effective in this space.

Legacy of 2025

An important piece of evidence in the "Star Power" vs. "IP" argument came in the year 2025. Though well-established films like Jurassic World: Rebirth and A Minecraft Movie dominated the charts, this seasoned crew delivered the most talked-about "human" performances.

Concerning parenting and legacy, F1, Jay Kelly, and One Battle After Another all had something in common. Experts in the field have called 2025 'The Year of the Movie Dad' because these actors, who are now in their 50s and 60s, embraced roles that belied their age while still retaining their leading-man status.

The actors' arduous physical preparation was another topic of discussion. From Pitt's 190 mph race car to Cruise's last stunts as Ethan Hunt, the 2025 slate hinted that the contemporary celebrity would deliver an "authentic spectacle" that CGI just can't match.

The "storm" that Hollywood's seasoned actors and actresses unleashed in 2025 was about more than just financial success; it was also about reviving the leading man in an industry that was often chastised for relying too much on CGI and masks. Experience is still a precious commodity in world cinema, as these five performers demonstrated with their final runs, Pitt's racing victories, and Clooney's reflective moments. Their success shows that the force of the franchise and the enduring charisma of the individual actor will continue to be the two fronts in the blockbuster battle for the foreseeable future.