Tom Cruise is a titan of the old guard of filmmaking. There aren't many movie stars left who haven't attached themselves to a Netflix/Hulu/HBO Max/AppleTV+/what-have-you streaming original at some point in the game. In fact, Cruise might honestly be the very last true blue movie star left in Hollywood. The actor-producer makes big movies that are meant to be seen on the big screen, and that's not likely to change anytime soon — at least, not if Cruise himself can help it. In the midst of the pandemic, when movie studios were forced to ship their unreleased new films straight to VOD or plunge them into the increasingly widening depths of streaming content, Cruise took a hard stance. The A-list star wasn't going to let his latest blockbuster, Top Gun: Maverick, become a Paramount+ original, and he fought the studio to make sure that didn't happen, as he revealed during the movie's official Cannes premiere.
During his recent appearance at the Grand Palais' Debussy theater, where he went on a wide-ranging conversation about his work, according to Variety, Cruise made it clear that he supports theaters. The actor has never been shy about his admiration for the big screen, and when he was asked if Top Gun: Maverick was ever considering a streaming-first release during its years-long pandemic delay, Cruise firmly noted that he never, ever entertained the thought. This film was always meant for the big screen.
"That's not going to happen. Ever," Cruise said definitively to the festival audience in attendance for his latest mega-blockbuster. "I've spent a lot of time with theater owners. The people that serve the popcorn, the ones who make this [happen]." The producer left the theater owners with the hopeful message that he was always planning to release Top Gun: Maverick in theaters, and the same will be true for the next Mission: Impossible film. He doesn't design streaming content; he "makes movies for the big screen." And he loves the theater experience as much as anyone. Cruise noted that he'll often go to the theater with "a cap on" and see movies in a crowd under anonymous cover in order to get the fullest experience.
Top Gun: Maverick Releasing In Select Cities Three Days Early
Earning rave reviews from critics and early audiences alike, particularly when the movie premiered at last month's CinemaCon, Top Gun: Maverick is undeniably one that deserves to be seen on the biggest and loudest screens possible, and the experience wouldn't be the same if the long-delayed sequel was forced to premiere at home. Even if you have a huge screen and big, loud speakers in your living room, there's no beating the experience of watching a film like this one in a crowded theater, and Cruise knows that — as a star, producer, and movie fan himself. He knew this legacyquel needed to keep the theater experience preserved, and it sounds like the actor made the right call. Hopefully, the wait will be worth it.
Top Gun: Maverick will premiere in theaters worldwide on May 27th.