Tom Cruise brought the glitz of Hollywood to Texas on Thursday night, and he didn’t come alone. The movie star turned NorthPark IMAX into a red carpet spectacle as he unveiled Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning to an electric Dallas crowd, per CBSNews. But the man known for dangling off planes and sprinting through explosions shared the spotlight with a local legend: former Cowboys running back and Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.

Cruise, dressed in a sleek suit and flashing his signature smile, greeted fans with a hearty “Y’all have fun tonight,” drawing cheers that echoed across the theater complex. Smith, meanwhile, looked right at home alongside Cruise, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, and Miss Texas Taylor Davis. The scene felt like a crossover between Texas football royalty and silver screen espionage.

CBS anchor Doug Dunbar introduced Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie, who beamed at the crowd. “When you're watching and seeing all the stuff [Cruise] is doing, we're thinking about you,” McQuarrie told the packed audience, emphasizing how much it meant to see theaters buzzing again.

Outside the Cinemark and AMC NorthPark, videos captured Cruise waving to masses of cheering fans, many holding up phones to catch a glimpse of Ethan Hunt himself. It wasn’t just about showbiz — Cruise followed through on his promise to sample some Texas barbecue, hitting up Deep Ellum’s famed Pecan Lodge for a plate stacked with beef ribs, brisket, sausage, and turkey.

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Cruise’s Blockbuster Tour Stops in Texas

This Dallas stop was part of a full-throttle press tour for Mission: Impossible’s eighth chapter. Just before his NorthPark appearance, Cruise visited San Antonio’s AMC Rivercenter 11 and even spent time at Joint Base San Antonio, shaking hands with military members and thanking them for their service.

Elsewhere, viral clips of Cruise flicking popcorn into his mouth at a London screening and chatting with employees at a Manhattan theater have fans raving. Darius Butler even took a jab during The Pat McAfee Show, teasing Cruise about whether he was actually eating popcorn or just putting on a show. Tom Cruise laughed it off. “Man, I’m eating popcorn,” he said with a grin.

Back in Dallas, fans won’t soon forget the night Hollywood came to town — and how Emmitt Smith, still a star in his own right, shared a moment in the Mission: Impossible glow.