Top Gun Sequel Creators Determined To Have Theatrical Release
Despite many new film releases opting to go the route of online streaming rather than waiting for cinemas to reopen but Top Gun: Maverick’s producers are adamant they want to wait for a traditional release.
Many cinemas worldwide had to close their doors to the public in 2020 and early this year. This has resulted in several major film production companies opting to sell their marquee releases to streaming platforms such as HBO Max and Netflix rather than release them to cinemas mostly closed to the public and face a potential financial loss.
It has started to blur the lines between major motion picture releases and films that were previously dubbed “streaming movies”, which are films made specifically for a streaming platform and often paid for by that platform, titles like Bright on Netflix, for example.
Over the December period, Warner Bros decided to release Wonder Woman 1984 on streaming platforms and in theatres simultaneously and has since announced it is planning to do the same with all 17 of its major releases scheduled for 2021.
The main problem with this is that it can hurt the film’s takings at the box office because why would people go to the cinema when they could watch it in the comfort of their own homes. As such, Universal is planning to release its films in cinemas with on-demand coming two and half weeks after release rather than simultaneously to try to counteract this.
However, Paramount Pictures is going its own way. They are so confident in the crowd pull factor of Top Gun: Maverick, which sees Tom Cruise reprise his role as a broody but brilliant fighter pilot, that they are sticking to their plan of a theatre release even if it means they have to wait until more theatres reopen.
It’s not as if the interest isn’t there from the streaming services, according to the Wall Street Journal, an anonymous source said that both Netflix and Apple approach Paramount to purchase rights to stream the film but were shot down.
The original Top Gun film was released in 1986 and was a smash hit and became the highest-grossing film of that year. It was so popular with cinema-goers that the number of theatres showing the film did not drop for six months after its initial release. Overall it brought in $356-million against a budget of $15-million.
Unsurprisingly, the film remains an important part of popular culture to this day. According to some reports, it caused bomber jackets and Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses sales to rise by as much as 40% and the 1991 comedy Hot Shots! is a direct parody of Top Gun. It is spoofed again in the 2004 comedy by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, Team America: World Police and is recognised as one of the key inspirations for the television show JAG.
There have also been no fewer than 18 video games made inspired by Top Gun, and that isn’t including several more than were planned but cancelled before they could be released. There is a Top Gun strategy board game, and even a Top Gun slot featured at some of the best South African online casinos, such as Europa Casino.
It is pretty clear that Top Gun’s popularity has not waned in the 35 years since its original release, so it makes sense for Paramount to hang on to its release until more cinemas are open. Its earning potential is vast, and there is no way the fee a streaming platform would pay for it is anywhere near what they would make at the box office.
