The wait to see Tom Cruise run across movie screens just got a little longer. In a reshuffling of Paramount’s upcoming film slate, the studio has once again pushed back the release dates for both Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible 7. The long-awaited sequel to the 80’s classic was poised to make a patriotic comeback over the July 4th weekend, but it will now debut on November 19, which was the release date for seventh installment in the Mission: Impossible series. That film will now take a sizable step back and hit theaters on May 27, 2022.
As for the reasoning behind this latest release date shuffle, Paramount has remained extremely committed to releasing its films theatrically, and apparently, it’s not liking what it’s seeing in July. Via Deadline:
Top Gun: Maverick stands to be a billion-dollar grossing movie and Paramount isn’t going to let one buck of that slip away. Exhibition continues to be closed in Europe (with UK eyeing a May 17 reopening) and Brazil as they continue to grapple with Covid, and it’s going to take time for those markets to get back in shape. A late November date stands a better chance of Europe and Brazil being fully open for Top Gun: Maverick.
The Top Gun: Maverick delay is surprising given comments from Paramount president Chris Aronson in late January when he struck a confident tone that the film was set for flight in July. “We have no plans to move our theatrical release of Top Gun,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I think the next two months are critical, and whether the new administration can implement a robust vaccination plan. If Biden’s 100 million vaccines in 100 days works, then I think we’ll be in good shape.”
As we now know, Biden’s vaccination plan has been so successful that the administration hit its goal of 100 million shots in just 58 days and is hoping to double that goal by the time the 100 days are up. However, it appears that Paramount is now concerned with getting the most bang for its buck at the global box office, which remains in flux. Until then, it appears both Maverick and Ethan Hunt are grounded.
(Via Deadline)