If a film’s sequel came out after almost four decades, then the natural response of most people would be to dismiss it, because they either forgot the original or grew out of it. But what Top Gun: Maverick achieved with the film would not be imaginable in anyone’s wildest dreams. After the original film was released in 1986, there was no indication of a sequel. But when the film hit the theatres in 2022, it broke the $1 Billion box office ceiling with relative ease, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time.
With a revenue of $1.4 Billion on the box office chart, the film defied expectations as both the old timers and the young blood flocked to the cinemas in the post-covid era to make this happen. While the film was always supposed to be a theatrical release, there was a time when Paramount thought of releasing the movie on OTT platforms. But director Joseph Kosinski decided to sleep on the proposal, and thus, he had the opportunity to be praised by the legendary director Steven Spielberg, who gave Tom Cruise and the team a compliment of a lifetime.
Steven Speilberg Praised The Theatrical Release Of Top Gun: Maverick!
While 2022 would see many Hollywood blockbusters being released, the thought of Top Gun: Maverick making it big at the box office was just wishful thinking. But with the return of Tom Cruise to reprise his iconic role of Peter ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, with new actors that would carry on the legacy of the prestigious Top Gun Academy placed in a one-of-a-kind narrative, both the old fans of the original movie, as well as the new fans that emerged, would make the film the hit that it is. But apart from the fans, legendary director Steven Spielberg would also praise this movie as the savior of Hollywood.
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During the DGA Awards, Joseph Kosinski, the director of the sequel, witnessed Cruise along with Speilberg having a conversation about the film. When he heard the director of The Goonies claim that Top Gun: Maverick was the film that saved Hollywood, he was beyond honored and satisfied with his decision not to release the film on streaming platforms. The original release schedule of the movie was before 2022, but due to the pandemic, it had to be shifted. Thus, at one point in time, Paramount thought of releasing the movie on OTT platforms. In his talk with Deadline, Kosinski said:
“[It] was pretty surreal for many reasons that are obvious, I grew up watching Steven’s movies — a huge inspiration to me. To see him and Tom have that conversation about this film — pretty mind-blowing.”
The success of the film, both commercially and critically, was the hard work of Cruise and the rest of the cast in making the film as CGI-defiant as possible, with nothing but human emotions and actions guiding the movie to success.
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What’s Next For Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun?
With the unforeseen success of the sequel, Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer of the film has assured new fans and old that the tales of these young aviators still have the fire to return for a third film. Tom Cruise’s legacy carried on by him in the sequel would be lived on for at least one more film as the studio has decided to make it a three-quel series. While we still might not have many details about the upcoming film, we can rest assured that we will see Maverick soar the skies once again in the future.
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Top Gun: Maverick, now streaming on Paramount+.
Source: Deadline
