In 1983, the movie Tom Cruise called “a terrible time” was released. Four months later, one scene made him a movie star

Tom Cruise’s role in the 1983 comedy *Risky Business* helped make him a major star, just months after a film he disliked, *Losin’ It*, returned to cinemas. The contrast shows how quickly his fortunes changed that year: *Risky Business* became a box-office success and brought him his first major awards recognition.

Cruise later recalled that *Losin’ It* was a difficult project and said it was “a terrible time” in his life. The film had a limited cinema run the year before and bombed on its April 1983 return; *Risky Business*, released four months later, earned more than ten times its budget. Cruise’s standing rose further with *Top Gun* and *The Color of Money* in 1986.