Tom Cruise made a dramatic entrance for the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in San Diego, California, on Wednesday, May 4, arriving at the screening on the USS Midway aircraft carrier by way of helicopter.

The Jerry Maguire actor described the Top Gun sequel as a “love letter to aviation” in a 2019 interview.

“I’m a pilot myself, I love flying, and I love aviation,” Cruise said.

Top Gun: Maverick is set to be released in theaters on May 27, according to Deadline.

This video taken by Curtis Shipp shows Cruise’s grand aerial entrance onto the USS Midway. Credit: Curtis Shipp via Storyful

Video transcript

[WHIRRING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[CHEERING]

- [INAUDIBLE] yeah.

[CHEERING]

- That is what I call an entrance. Give it up, folks, Tom Cruise a.k.a. Maverick joining us on the USS Midway. [? Tomati, ?] Simone, I'm in a little bit of shock, [? Tomati. ?] What do you think?

- There are a lot of things I've seen in my lifetime. Tom standing on a red carpet was not one of them. Now, this film is a love letter to aviation just as much as it's a love letter to cinema. Josh.