Tom Cruise plays tourist in a London taxi on his way to the movies

Hollywood actor Tom Cruise took his social media followers on a mini-trip of London from the back of a black cab, as it took him to a movie theater. The taxi passed by several famous landmarks, including Buckingham Palace and Wellington Arch.

The 58-year-old star is currently filming the seventh and eighth instalments of Mission: Impossible at the Warner Bros Studios in Hertfordshire. He waved at young fans who recognised him en route to the BFI IMAX in Waterloo to attend a preview of Christopher Nolan's espionage drama Tenet. In a video of the trip posted to his Instagram account, the taxi passed by Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth's official London residence, and Wellington Arch on the south-east corner of Hyde Park, which dates back to 1826 and has a bronze four-horse chariot statue on top.

Cruise's fans also caught a glimpse of the English capital's skyline, although he would have had an even better view of it himself when he arrived the previous day by helicopter. The actor has a helicopter license and piloted the Airbus H125 himself, landing at Battersea Heliport. Tenet is one of the first films to be released after UK theatres reopened, and a mask-clad Cruise revealed to fellow cinemagoers that he loved the movie.

Cruise is no stranger to London and reportedly stayed at Saint Hill Manor in West Sussex during the COVID-19 lockdown. He was also spotted flying a helicopter around the Oxfordshire countryside and practising his motocross skills. The British government is due to publish guidance allowing 'small numbers' of essential film cast and crew to travel to the UK without having to quarantine for 14 days. They will have to live and work in controlled 'bubbled' environments for the same length of time. The next two Mission: Impossible action films are due to be released in summer 2021 and summer 2022, respectively.