It has come to light that Tom Cruise didn’t want Top Gun: 2 (Maverick) to debut on online platforms. While fans are waiting eagerly for the release date of Top Gun 2, Cruise has different plans. Yes, the Maverick himself didn’t want an online debut. This has been confusing a lot of fans since online platforms are some of the most preferred means of watching a movie.
With the release date of Top Gun 2 approaching rapidly, everyone’s eager for an online release. It seems like the movie is going to debut in theatres only. But, considering the fact that Top Gun 2 is supposed to be Tom Cruise’s ode to his career, isn’t it a bit odd to not give it maximum exposure? This time around in Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise has an even larger stake in the movie since he’s also the producer of the film. Then why didn’t he want an online debut?
Quite a mystery, isn’t it? It is until you know why. So, keep on reading if you want to understand why Top Gun 2 didn’t debut on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, or any other online platform.
It Is an Experience
Now, the reason you’re going to get for not releasing Top Gun: Maverick is very different than anything we’ve heard so far. It’s not about the figures or the financial aspect. Tom Cruise laid major emphasis on the experience of going to a movie theatre and watching a movie. According to him, it’s an experience that brings people together without any prejudice.
When you go to a movie theater, you know that there’ll be other people present and you embrace that community aspect. There are people of different ethnicities, races, religions, and nationalities present in a theatre, but all of them have the same goal. They want to enjoy the movie and according to Cruise, it brings a sense of oneness. A sense of oneness that the pandemic took away.
It seems like Cruise is dead serious about this and it’s not merely an ideological rant. His previous movie Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 still hasn’t been released because of the same reason. Tom Cruise wants people to go and watch Top Gun 2 in the theatre with other human beings. Tom Cruise got no “Netflix and chill”.
Top Gun: Maverick Is a Movie
Other than the benign reasoning by Tom Cruise, there might be another reason why Top Gun 2 isn’t debuting online. Every movie is a financial venture at the end of the day. Movie producers, directors, actors, and all the other crew members want the movie to perform well.
How does a movie perform well? By becoming a blockbuster and smashing all the sales records. If a movie doesn’t release in theatres first, it wouldn’t be as hyped as it could’ve been. OTT platforms aren’t as lucrative for movie-makers as actual screenings are. Everyone behind Top Gun: Maverick has put in a lot of effort. So, it’s understandable if they want the movie to be a financial success.
Other than that, the way you produce a movie meant for theatres is way different than what you’d do for an OTT platform. Maverick from Top Gun said he feels the same. Top Gun 2 is focusing on the big screen and that’s how Cruise wants its reception to be.
Cruise also claims that he wanted to create an experience that could be enjoyed down the line, not just on the opening weekend. Now, this is something that doesn’t fit in with his other statements. If he did want to create that could be enjoyed down the line, shouldn’t he have gone the opposite route? A movie directed for the big screen can only be as good as it is on the big screen. For longevity, releasing Top Gun2 on OTT would’ve been a much more logical choice.
Maybe, it IS about the money and the acclaim. Who knows? Honestly, who cares as long as the movie is good?