Top Gun: Maverick's streaming release date reportedly depends on Tom Cruise's decision, according to Hollywood insider Matthew Belloni. Set 36 years after the events of Tony Scott's classic 1986 film Top Gun, the long-awaited legacy sequel finds the naval pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell returning to the Top Gun program to train a new generation of fighter pilots. Among them is Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, the son of Maverick's late RIO and best friend Goose, who forces him to confront his past.
Tom Cruise returns to lead the Maverick cast as the titular test pilot alongside his Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer, who reprises his role as Iceman for a short but meaningful cameo. The remainder of the ensemble cast is comprised completely of newcomers to the franchise, including Miles Teller as Rooster, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Monica Barbaro. Oblivion helmer Joseph Kosinski reunites with Cruise on the Top Gun sequel, directing a screenplay that Mission: Impossible's Christopher McQuarrie had a hand in crafting. Since its release in theaters on May 27, Top Gun: Maverick has been showered with praise for its breathtaking aerial sequences and surprisingly heartfelt story. Meanwhile, it has surpassed expectations at the box office, breaking numerous records on its way to becoming the highest-grossing film of the year.
On his podcast The Town with Matthew Belloni, the Hollywood insider shared an update regarding Top Gun: Maverick's streaming release date. Belloni revealed that the decision to release the Top Gun sequel on streaming hinges not on Paramount, but on Cruise, who appears to have full control. Read what Belloni shared below:
The last I saw with Paramount was that the window is 120 days, but Paramount would like to go back to Tom Cruise and negotiate a shorter window in order to capture some of the home video revenue, whether that's on premium video on demand, whether it's on their streaming service Paramount+, yet to be determined. I know Paramount would very much like to get this movie onto a streaming service soon. But if it keeps playing in theaters like it's playing, there's really no incentive for Tom Cruise to agree to that, other than money, and he's a big believer in the theatrical ecosystem and he has control over this movie in his deal.
If Belloni's reporting is correct, Top Gun: Maverick will likely remain in theaters exclusively for 120 days, a huge window even by pre-pandemic standards. For most of 2021 and 2022, Paramount has been sticking to a 45-day theatrical window for releases like A Quiet Place Part II, Jackass Forever, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Scream. Considering that Cruise receives first-dollar gross and has enormous control of his projects as a producer, it's a no-brainer for the movie star to keep Top Gun: Maverick in theaters for as long as he possibly can.
This is not good news for those who want to see Top Gun: Maverick hit streaming sooner rather than later, but a very welcome update for those who cherish the theatrical experience, as Cruise does. He and his co-stars went through a grueling flight training program in order to make the movie as practically and realistically as possible, avoiding CGI and green screens at all costs. Top Gun: Maverick is a film tailor-made for the theatrical experience, so it should reap the benefits for as long as it can.
Source: The Town with Matthew Belloni