MoMA Film Benefit Honors Steven Spielberg
Tom Cruise surprised guests at the Museum of Modern Art's annual film benefit, which celebrated the director ahead of his 80th birthday.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Science Fiction
The Museum of Modern Art held its annual film benefit on Thursday, November 12, honoring Steven Spielberg. Tom Cruise appeared as a surprise guest and opened the evening, praising Spielberg's work.
Why it matters
The event recognized one of Hollywood's most influential directors and drew a mix of film, music and performance figures to a major New York cultural institution. It also reflects the continued role of Chanel, which has sponsored the benefit since 2011, in supporting film programming at MoMA.
The evening's program combined a surprise appearance by Tom Cruise, a comedy set by Martin and Short lasting about five and a half minutes, and a closing acoustic performance by Bruce Springsteen. The record of the honoree's collaborations, including Minority Report in 2002 and War of the Worlds in 2005, was highlighted alongside these performances, though the benefit's fundraising total was not reported.
The players
Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg is an American film director and producer whose work includes Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Schindler's List, and he is among the most commercially and critically successful filmmakers in history.
Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise is an American actor and producer best known for the Mission: Impossible franchise and for starring in films directed by Spielberg, including Minority Report and War of the Worlds.
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is a New York City institution founded in 1929 that is widely regarded as one of the leading modern and contemporary art museums in the world, and it runs a major film program.
Chanel
Chanel is a French luxury fashion and beauty house that has sponsored the annual film benefit at the Museum of Modern Art since 2011 and became its lead film sponsor in 2021.
The details
Cruise took the stage at the start of the program, while Martin Scorsese, Emily Blunt and Christophe Cherix gave remarks. Ariana DeBose performed Somewhere from West Side Story before dinner, and Bruce Springsteen closed the evening with an acoustic performance of Dancing in the Dark.
Timeline
1975: Jaws was released in theaters, and Cruise and his family waited in line to see it.
2002: Cruise worked with Spielberg on Minority Report.
2005: Cruise worked with Spielberg on War of the Worlds.
November 12, 2026: The MoMA film benefit honoring Spielberg was held.
December 18, 2026: Spielberg turns 80.
Industry Dynamics
The benefit fits a longstanding pattern in which major museums and luxury sponsors use film honors to tie cultural institutions to Hollywood's established directors. Spielberg's career, which began with the 1975 release of Jaws, remains a reference point for how studio-era blockbusters evolved into the franchise-driven and star-led films that the current business model relies on.
Readers who want to see the work discussed can find Spielberg's films, including Jaws, Minority Report and War of the Worlds, on the streaming and rental platforms where they are currently available. The benefit itself is a private museum event, so the public can access its programming only through MoMA's regular screenings and announced film series.
The takeaway
The evening shows how a single honoree can gather performers across generations, from Cruise and Springsteen to DeBose, around a shared body of work. Readers interested in the genre can explore the director's science fiction films directly through the museum's and the studio's available screenings.
What happens next
Spielberg turns 80 on December 18, 2026, which is a definite upcoming date tied to the honoree.
Further reading
For more on the director's genre work, see our Science Fiction coverage.
