2 Attachment(s)
Top Gun: Maverick's New 2021 Release Date Is Much Better For The Movie
The release of Top Gun: Maverick has been delayed once again, but this time the move actually works in the movie's favor. Top Gun 2 has been a long time in the making; the film, which will see Tom Cruise reprise his role as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, has been in various stages of development since 2010, and it finally started filming in May 2018. Two years on from that, and it still hasn't hit cinemas.
Top Gun: Maverick was initially scheduled for July 2019, before being pushed back a year to allow more time for filming the flight sequences in the film, which will be done without any CGI. Top Gun 2 was then set for release on June 26, 2020, before being pushed back to December 23, 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While that release date is still some way off, the ongoing concerns over theaters re-opening has caused Paramount to act yet again, with Top Gun 2 now delayed until July 2, 2021.
While so many delays may be frustrating - assuming that date sticks, it'll be three years after production began and 11 years since it first entered development - in the case of Top Gun: Maverick, it isn't actually a bad thing. Aside from the obvious healthy and safety concerns and necessary precautions being taken, releasing Top Gun 2 in July, the peak of the summer months, also just feels right for the film, because Top Gun very much is a summer movie. The first film released in May, itself a part of the summer blockbuster window, and its San Diego setting and imagery mean it makes sense to watch it when the weather outside is much warmer.
The iconography of Top Gun and, subsequently, Top Gun: Maverick effortlessly conjures up summer - from the volleyball scene to songs like "Playing With The Boys" and "Hot Summer Nights", all of which Maverick will be evoking, and it'd be a little jarring to go and watch that so close to Christmas. On top of that, with the bigger budget and even greater on the incredible action scenes, then Top Gun: Maverick is going to be even more of a summer action blockbuster type movie, which also fits with what kind of movie star Tom Cruise has turned into since the first released.
It's a financially sound decision for Top Gun: Maverick to make too. There are still no guarantees about the state movie theaters will be in by December, and even if they open at that point it'd likely be remaining at a reduced capacity, meaning Top Gun 2's earning potential would be limited. Similarly, while December has proved fruitful for blockbusters, they've tended to be major family franchises, like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars, which are more appealing for festive viewings. Top Gun: Maverick will skew a little older, and while 2021 is now looking extremely crowded, it should still have a better shot in its new release date than it would in December.
