Burj Khalifa Tom Cruise: The Mission: Impossible Climb

TL;DR: Tom Cruise really was on the outside of Burj Khalifa for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, filmed in late 2010, but he was tied on with multiple cables that were later erased digitally. Will Smith climbed the tower’s 160 floors and into the spire for a YouTube series in 2021, and Rihanna appeared on the LED facade in January 2021. Visitors cannot go outside, but the decks at 452 m, 555 m and 585 m show the same view from behind the glass.

Did Tom Cruise really climb Burj Khalifa, and how was it filmed?

Yes, Tom Cruise did the climb himself, on the real building, while attached to it by cables. Wikipedia’s article on the film says he appears to free-climb with special gloves but was “securely attached to the Burj Khalifa at all times by multiple cables”, and that Industrial Light & Magic digitally erased the cables in post-production. Cruise did most of his own stunts, and so did much of the cast.

How the scene came together:

• When. The film’s principal photography ran from October 2010 to March 2011, with Dubai among the locations. Al Arabiya reported on 7 November 2010 that Cruise had been seen dangling from the tower that day.
• How it was shot. Gulf News reported that Cruise and his crew hung from ropes off the top of the building and that he abseiled down the front, past observers on the 124th-floor deck, while a helicopter filmed.
• The camera. Director Brad Bird insisted on IMAX for key scenes; about 30 minutes of the film was shot in IMAX. Bird said that in the IMAX footage of Cruise on the tower, you could see traffic reflected in the glass and the glass warping under his hand.

The film had its world premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival on 7 December 2011. It grossed $694.7 million worldwide and set an opening-weekend record in the UAE of $2.4 million. The Dubai Fountain at the foot of the tower even lists the Mission: Impossible theme in its playlist, according to Wikipedia.

What did Will Smith and other celebrities do there?

Will Smith climbed the tower’s 160 floors and then went up into the spire, for his YouTube series Best Shape of My Life. The episode was posted on 8 November 2021. Gulf News reported that he was strapped into safety gear and climbed a ladder into the spire, and quoted him calling it “the individual highest point that a human being can be in a man-made structure on Earth.” The two Dubai papers give different times for the 160 floors: Gulf News 61 minutes, Khaleej Times 51 minutes.

That was his second Burj Khalifa video. Gulf News reported that in March 2019 he posted a clip filmed on the tower’s observation deck the previous October.

Others have been on the outside too. Alain Robert, the “Spiderman” climber, scaled the outside to the top of the spire on 28 March 2011; it took 6 hours, and UAE safety rules made him use a rope and harness. On 21 April 2014, the French BASE jumpers Vince Reffet and Fred Fugen jumped from a platform at the very top, at 828 m, a world record. The who climbed Burj Khalifa page has the full list.

What was Rihanna’s moment on the facade?

Rihanna appeared on the outside of Burj Khalifa in a light show on 6 January 2021, to launch her Fenty Skin range in the Gulf. What’s On Dubai reported that the show featured her products and a clip of her saying, “Hello Dubai, I am so honoured to be projected on the Burj Khalifa.” It promoted a Fenty Skin pop-up at The Dubai Mall that ran from 6 to 16 January 2021, during the Dubai Shopping Festival.

That screen is the tower’s LED facade. Guinness World Records lists it as the largest LED-illuminated facade, at 44,956.77 square metres. It is used for brand campaigns, national days and New Year’s Eve, and for seasonal light shows on set evenings. The Burj Khalifa at night guide covers when to watch.

Where were the scenes shot, and where can you stand?

The stunts happened on the outside of the tower, which no visitor can reach; you see the same drop from inside the decks. Gulf News places Cruise’s descent past the 124th-floor observation deck, the level that is now the standard visit. Your options, with partner prices at 1 USD = 3.6725 AED:

Level	Height	From	Rating on GetYourGuide
Levels 124 and 125	452 m	$51 (AED 189)	4.3 on 92,917 reviews of that ticket
SKY level 148	555 m	$109 (AED 399)	4.6 on 24,553 reviews
The Lounge, level 152	585 m	$209 (AED 769)	4.6 on 2,819 reviews

All three listings include an outdoor terrace, so you can stand in the open air at that height. For what you see from up there, read the view from Burj Khalifa; for the numbers behind the tower, see Burj Khalifa facts.