Top Gun: Maverick is about to hit a new milestone, as 2022’s biggest movie will be heading back to movie theaters for one last dance to be enjoyed by fans in all its glory this December.
Not content with a worldwide box office nearing $1.5 billion, Top Gun: Maverick will be in cinemas for a limited time before it heads to the company’s streaming service, Paramount Plus, starting December 22. Although the announcement is a bit unorthodox in today’s movie landscape, the decision embodies what Tom Cruise and Paramount Pictures always wanted for the film, considering Top Gun: Maverick was delayed so many times before its eventual release this past May.
In a press release shared by Paramount, the studio specified that Top Gun: Maverick will be available for a limited time in the United States, from December 2 through December 15, including screenings in premium formats and IMAX theaters to yet again deliver the same cinematic experience that wowed audiences. Paramount's President of Domestic Distribution stated the timing is perfect so audiences can experience “how special this film is,” firmly believing “Top Gun: Maverick truly epitomizes the magic of the moviegoing experience.” Movie tickets for these limited screenings are already up for sale on the film’s website topgunmovie.com.
As part of its announcement, Paramount highlighted some of the movie’s achievements, including Top Gun: Maverick's current 99% audience score and 97% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Paramount also highlighted Top Gun: Maverick's A+ on CinemaScore, which turned the movie into a rare unanimous hit when combined with similar outstanding marks on IMDb (8.4/10) and Letterboxd (4.1/5). On top of that, the movie has also received plenty of praise from accomplished filmmakers, and its soundtrack briefly landed at the top of most music streaming charts.
In a movie era that has seen so many remakes and sequels try to bank on nostalgia and fail, Top Gun: Maverick became the perfect legacy sequel for a franchise believed to be long dead, thus prompting many to wonder if Paramount and Cruise will team up again for another film that could complete Maverick's trilogy. The fact that the studio has decided to release the film at a relatively quiet time in terms of movie releases is just the perfect icing on the cake because it might just give Top Gun: Maverick the extra push it needs to trump Furious 7 and The Avengers as the ninth highest-grossing film ever.
Coincidentally, Top Gun Maverick will leave theaters right before another box office great tries to reprise its previous success, with Avatar: The Way of Water coming out on December 16. The first Avatar has retained its record partly due to rereleases in China and the U.S. in recent years, so perhaps this might not be the last time moviegoers will get to see Captain Pete Mitchell, even if Cruise can't be convinced a third time.
Top Gun: Maverick will again be available in theaters from December 2 through 15, 2022.
Source: topgunmovie.com
