Top Gun: Maverick became an immediate success when it landed in theaters last spring, becoming the 11th highest-grossing film of all time, and the highest-grossing film of star Tom Cruise's career. It's also currently the highest-grossing film of 2022, although it might be narrowly beaten by Avatar: The Way of Water in the last few days of the year.
The film has met success again since it began streaming on Paramount+ last week and is already the platform's most-streamed title of all time, according to Collider. Their previous most-streamed title, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, was beaten by Top Gun: Maverick by over 60 percent. The original 1986 Top Gun and other Tom Cruise movies also saw a massive increase in viewership this week.
The film was supposed to release all the way back in the summer of 2019, but was re-shot and then delayed again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The studio patiently waited for COVID cases and restrictions to calm down before releasing the film on May 27th of this year.
Paramount CEO Admits "Variable Windowing" Has Value
Paramount originally wanted the film to be available on their streaming service the same day it was released in theaters, but Tom Cruise fought the studio for an exclusive theatrical release. He felt the film deserved to be seen on the big screen (and likely pointed out that such a release would earn the film more money). Brian Robbins, the President and CEO of Paramount Pictures, is proud of the film's success both on the big screen and now on their streaming platform, saying they've learned something from their distribution strategy:
“The runaway success of this film across theatrical, digital and now in streaming is an undeniable proof point demonstrating the power of Paramount’s multi-platform release strategy. Across all our 2022 titles, and now with Top Gun: Maverick, our studio has unlocked the value of variable windowing that streaming provides to augment a film’s overall success.”
While they didn't admit it explicitly, it seems like Paramount executives have learned their lesson that theater-only releases are still very worthwhile. The Chief Programming Officer of Paramount Streaming, Tanya Giles, said something similar, referring to Top Gun: Maverick as a "highly anticipated theatrical hit" in this statement:
“We are thrilled to see a continuation of the film’s massive record-breaking success by becoming the #1 most-watched movie premiere on Paramount+. We continue to benefit from the highly anticipated theatrical hits from Paramount Pictures that come to the service delivering fans a new way to continue to watch and re-watch their favorite movies."
Had they gone with their original plan, it's extremely likely that Top Gun: Maverick wouldn't have been such a box office success, as audiences could have simply tuned in at home.
The director of Dune, Denis Villeneuve, similarly asked the distributor of the film, Warner Bros. Pictures, for an exclusive theatrical release window. His request was denied, and the film began streaming on HBO Max the same day it landed in theaters. Dune still performed well at the box office, well enough for Dune: Part Two to get the green light, which will release only in theaters next fall.
Top Gun: Maverick is now streaming on Paramount+. It stars Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, and Glen Powell. The film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, and David Ellison, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.