Contrary to last year, which saw studios pushing the release dates of their films back as much as a full year in the wake of a raging and unpredictable pandemic, the last few months have seen studios move their films up on the release calendar. The vaccine rollout is in full swing, especially in the United States, and studios seem bullish that May will be when we start getting back to some semblance of normal, with Paramount’s A Quiet Place: Part II poised to light up the box office on May 28th.
Which is why it seemed odd when Top Gun: Maverick, which had been situated for a similarly big Fourth of July weekend on July 2nd, was recently delayed all the way to November. But a new report sheds some light on Paramount’s thinking behind the move, and it has to do with Tom Cruise.
The actor, who is currently in London filming Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8, wants to embark on a global press tour in advance of the release of the highly anticipated Top Gun sequel, THR reports. But right now that’s pretty impossible, and even this summer seems murky as countries in Europe and possibly Japan are looking at further lockdowns as they lag behind the U.S. in vaccine rollout.
So if Paramount had stuck with the July release date, the film could have likely had a pretty robust domestic opening, but its worldwide rollout may have been hindered. By delaying Top Gun: Maverick to November 19th, this ensures Cruise can move forward with a lengthy and robust press tour around the world touting the sequel before it hits theaters just before Thanksgiving.
Another potential positive for Paramount in delaying the film is the production schedule of the Mission sequels. Christopher McQuarrie, who helmed Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, is writing and directing M:I 7 and 8 back-to-back, but of course the production was delayed a bit due to the pandemic. Had Top Gun 2 stuck to its July release date, the production might have had to shut down so Cruise could fulfill press duties for Top Gun. But now with four extra months, McQuarrie and Co. can hopefully get both M:I 7 and 8 in the can before Cruise departs on the Top Gun press tour.
Consequently, Mission: Impossible 7 was originally set for release in November but has been pushed back to May, 2022, so Cruise, McQ and Co. have even more extra time to get that sequel in tip top shape, while also being able to focus on giving Top Gun: Maverick – on which McQuarrie is a writer and producer – a proper rollout.
So hang tight, folks. The longer wait surely isn’t fun, but it may be most beneficial to Top Gun: Maverick and the future of movie theaters in the long run, as the film will hopefully provide a significant stimulus to the box office this Thanksgiving.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Top Gun: Maverick finds Cruise reprising his iconic role, this time in charge of a new band of young Top Gun graduates – including Goose’s son, played by Miles Teller. The ensemble also includes Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glenn Powell, Lewis Pullman, and Ed Harris.