Paramount Pictures announced late Thursday, July 23, 2020 that the upcoming release of “Top Gun: Maverick” will be delayed for a second time until July 2, 2021. The film, a highly-anticipated sequel to the original 1986 “Top Gun” hit movie, was originally slated for theatrical release in the United States on Jun. 24, 2020 but was delayed for the first time by Paramount until December 23, 2020. This latest delay means the film will premiere a year behind schedule due to worldwide theater closures in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Sarah Whitten of CNBC wrote that, “Studios fearful of small crowds and knowing that production halts have impacted releases of films later on the calendar, are holding onto these features for when theaters can operate more safely.”
The delay of the theatrical release of “Top Gun: Maverick” accompanies additional delays for several other large-budget Hollywood productions. The delays signal that Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers studios still believe the theater release format is the best distribution model for major movie releases.
The delay follows weeks of growth in new COVID-19 cases in some states around the U.S. as the country continues to grapple with the pandemic.
In other “Top Gun: Maverick” superfan news, the best Top Gun fan Instagram, SkidVoodoo of Inyokern, California (give them a follow on Instagram, search “skidvoodoo”) posted an interesting fan submitted photo of Tom Cruise taxiing his personal P-51 Mustang to its hangar. The photo was from when the film was undergoing principle filming at China Lake some time ago, but in the wake of this recent delay of the film release, we’re thankful for any insight into the highly anticipated upcoming film.
