Tom Cruise rakes in millions

Tom Cruise, star of the new film War of the Worlds, salutes the crowd alongside his fiancee Katie Holmes before a screening of the film at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday, June 27, 2005. (Photo: AP)
LOS ANGELES: Steven Spielberg's epic "War of the Worlds" raked in 34.6 million dollars worldwide on its first day on screens, the biggest opening ever for a movie starring Tom Cruise, producers said Thursday.
Tom Cruise, star of the new film War of the Worlds, and fiancee Katie Holmes arrive on a motorcycle for a screening of the film on Monday, June 27, 2005, in Los Angeles. (Photo: AP)
The 135-million-dollar adaptation of HG Wells' 1898 science fiction novel notched up a whopping 21.3 million dollars in the United States and Canada alone, where it debuted Wednesday on 3,908 screens, Paramount Pictures said.
Tom Cruise, center, star of the new film War of the Worlds, poses with fiancee Katie Holmes and actor Will Smith before a screening of the film at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday, June 27, 2005. (Photo: AP)
The ticket receipts represented the largest opening day in the history of Paramount Pictures as well as the largest opening day for a Tom Cruise movie, the studio said.
Tom Cruise, star of the new film War of the Worlds, and fiancee Katie Holmes wave at fans after they arrived for a screening of the film on Monday, June 27, 2005, in Los Angeles. (Photo: AP)
"We're ecstatic; this is just the beginning of a long and successful run at box offices around the globe," said the studio's vice chairman Rob Friedman.

"We've got a dream team of Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg and they've both delivered yet again," he added in a statement. In addition to Cruise, whose off-screen antics stole much of the film's thunder during his worldwide promotional tour, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin and Tim Robbins also star.
Actor Tom Cruise (R) and his fiance Katie Holmes ride a motorbike on the red carpet at a special fan screening of Paramount Pictures War of the Worlds at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on June 27, 2005. The movie is the contemporary version of HG Wells's classic and reveals the battle for the future of humankind through the eyes of one American family fighting to survive it and opens in the United States on June 29, 2005.(Photo: Reuters)
Cruise criss-crossed the globe touting the film but his surprise engagement in Paris to his girlfriend Katie Holmes, red carpet smooches and a series of testy media interviews overshadowed talk of the movie.