While the streaming release of Top Gun: Maverick will bring its extraordinary theater run to a close, it will also quell any fears about the Top Gun sequel’s re-watch potential. It is not unusual for a blockbuster to lose some of its appeal in the transition from the cinema to home viewing. A big part of what made the COVID-19 theater closures so impactful on the global box office was the fact that a lot of movies (particularly those with budgets over $100 million) are designed to be seen as big, immersive theatrical experiences rather than being optimized for home viewing.

However, ideally, a solid blockbuster would not only be able to weather this issue but would offer a new, equally rewarding re-watch experience on streaming services. This is a tricky balance to pull off. For a long-awaited, action-packed Tom Cruise vehicle like Top Gun: Maverick, a successful cinema run followed by a more muted reception on streaming services would be understandable given the Top Gun sequel’s reliance on large-scale action set-pieces.

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Top Gun: Maverick On Streaming Proves It's A Great Movie, Not Just An Experience

Tom Cruise in Top Gun Maverick

Of all the welcome surprises that Top Gun: Maverick has offered viewers, the latest is that the movie is a genuinely excellent film to watch at home, no matter what size the screen is. Thrilling sequences like Top Gun: Maverick’s risky test run led to a deluge of discourse around the movie getting people to theaters and leaning into the experience of watching the sequel on the big screen. However, Top Gun: Maverick is also simply a superb action movie that can hold up to re-watches.

Top Gun: Maverick's Streaming Release Will Be Very Important For Paramount

While the theatrical release of the sequel was a huge deal for Paramount’s future, it is fair to say that after Top Gun: Maverick earned almost 1.5 billion dollars, the movie’s cinema run could be called a success. However, the Top Gun: Maverick streaming release is also huge for Paramount+. The Top Gun sequel is one of the biggest movies to go on to the platform and is perfectly timed for the holidays, meaning the service should see a big drive in subscribers as a result.

While there have been plenty of smaller releases that arrived at Paramount+, like South Park’s recent feature-length specials, the streaming service has not been home to many major releases like Top Gun: Maverick before. The fear that the blockbuster will lose some of its effectiveness on a smaller screen could drive viewers away from streaming the sequel, but the success of quieter scenes like Top Gun: Maverick’s Iceman return means the movie will likely be also able to bring in returning viewers. Whether this will be enough to see the Top Gun sequel succeed on streaming remains to be seen, but Top Gun: Maverick certainly isn’t hurt by the transition.

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