The release date of the long-awaited Top Gun: Maverick has been pushed to November 2021, meaning the movie will now face off against the franchise-reviving Ghostbusters: Afterlife - which could be bad news for Tom Cruise’s high-flying adventure. Released in 1986, the original Top Gun was the fast-paced story of Maverick, a reckless test pilot who learned the hard way that his impressive flying skills meant nothing without the teamwork of his fellow recruits Iceman and Goose (who unfortunately didn't survive this tough lesson).
Directed by action cinema legend Tony Scott, Top Gun was a massive success upon release thanks to its propulsive flying sequences, despite the predictable plot earning it mixed reviews from critics. The movie remains beloved by fans of its breakout star Tom Cruise and action films alike, and 2021 will finally see the long-delayed release of its much-anticipated sequel Top Gun: Maverick. However, despite the original movie’s enduring popularity, the production of Maverick has been plagued by problems that saw thirty-four years elapse between the release of the first film and its frequently delayed follow-up.
Originally intended as a 2020 release, Maverick was pushed back until April 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only to be then be pushed again to November 2021. The sequel will now go up against Ghostbusters: Afterlife at the box office, which may not be good news for Cruise and co. Since it will now be a battle for box office dominance between two returning ‘80s favorites that could not be more different, the question is which movie will prove triumphant with viewers. Nostalgia may be all they have in common, but will Top Gun: Maverick or Ghostbusters: Afterlife prove the winner?
Top Gun’s First Sequel Vs Ghostbusters Franchise
When it comes to their success as properties over the intervening decades since their mid-‘80s debuts, Top Gun has a definite advantage by being the first sequel to its classic original. The first film was a huge success at the box office, to the extent that Top Gun even increased real-life Air Force recruitment rates by 500%. In contrast, while the original Ghostbusters was massively successful, the attempts to repeat this success with further installments have not fared so well. It has two disappointing cinematic follow-ups in the form of the 1989 sequel Ghostbusters II (which at least earned over $200 million on a $40 million budget despite disappointing reviews) and a failed 2016 reboot (which fared worse in both financial and critical terms).
Despite Cruise’s movie having a more impressive box office pedigree, the Ghostbusters franchise has enjoyed success in its various TV and comic spin-offs, where Top Gun is attempting to revive a completely dormant property. The success of Top Gun: Maverick could, like Cruise’s Mission Impossible, rest on an impressive supporting cast. That said, the enduring appeal of the Ghostbusters extended universe has been proven by spin-off properties, whereas Top Gun’s success is limited to the original movie.
Ghostbusters' Horror-Comedy Vs Top Gun’s Military Action
Both Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Top Gun: Maverick rely on ‘80s multiplex mainstays; horror-comedy in the case of the former and military action in the latter. Two sub-genres that were well-loved forty years ago may seem like tough sells in a post-MCU cinematic environment, but horror-comedy has been enjoying a solid revival in recent years from Stranger Things to renewed interest in blockbusters based on the works of Stephen King. There are also 80s throwback slashers like Happy Death Day or The Babysitter, and TV’s Ash Vs The Evil Dead. The odds of military action making a comeback, in contrast, are not so kind for Maverick’s box office potential.
In comparison to the recent deluge of horror-comedy hybrids on the big and small screens, the likes of The Outpost and Greyhound prove that military action movies are not on as solid a footing currently, earning themselves good critical write-ups but unable to dethrone superheroes as the most profitable brand of blockbuster. Military action was once the backbone of American blockbusters circa the mid-‘80s when Maverick’s first flight graced the screens around the same time as Rambo’s goofier outings or Arnie’s over-the-top Commando. Top Gun: Maverick, meanwhile, reunites Iceman and Maverick at a time when Iron Man and Captain America are the most popular heroes on the big screen.
Top Gun: Maverick and Ghostbusters: Afterlife’s Star Power
Unlike most of their match-ups, the comparison between the cast of Top Gun: Maverick’s popularity and how well-known the stars of Ghostbusters: Afterlife are is pretty much tied. In terms of big names, the former features Tom Cruise, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, rising stars Glen Powell, Miles Teller, and Monica Barbaro, and even the return of Iceman himself Val Kilmer. However, Afterlife is no slouch in this department, with the reboot boasting an MCU hero in Paul Rudd, Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, and of course the original cast (save for the late, great Harold Ramis). It is almost too close to call with both boasting young stars and nostalgic favorites alike, but Afterlife brings back an entire iconic team (including co-stars Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts), so the cast is a little more impressive and likely to pull in cinema-goers than that of Top Gun’s sequel.
How Top Gun: Maverick Could Still Win Out
It may seem as though Afterlife is guaranteed to outdo Maverick at the box office, particularly given the fact the former has the added appeal of being a family film released near Thanksgiving. However, Tom Cruise’s enduring appeal as a star is not to be underestimated, as the actor’s wildly popular Mission Impossible franchise proves. It is entirely possible the Top Gun brand alone won’t be enough to sell Maverick to audiences eager for ‘80s nostalgia, but even the consistently likable Paul Rudd has never matched Cruise’s star power and the long-lasting love audiences have for the actor could prove sufficient to see Top Gun: Maverick outdo Ghostbusters: Afterlife when the two movies finally arrive in November 2021. Alternatively, both sequels could end up delayed for yet another year, leaving this conversation impossible to predict until 2023.
