Top Gun fans who aren’t thrilled about having to go to the theater to check out the sequel to Tony Scott’s iconic 1986 fighter jet film probably have franchise star Tom Cruise to thank for that arguable inconvenience. Speaking at a lengthy Q&A at Cannes, the 59-year-old action star revealed that he was adamantly against the idea of having Top Gun: Maverick premiere on a streaming platform (i.e., Paramount+) alongside a traditional theatrical release, giving the usual spiel of how blockbuster films are meant to be enjoyed in the cinema. Cruise stated that a day-one release on streaming was “not going to happen, ever,” and that he loves the theatrical experience so much that he actually enjoys sitting around for the trailers.
“They wouldn’t dare,” Cruise said. “That’s not going to happen, ever. That was never going to happen. Never. Not going to happen.”
“There’s a very specific way to make a film for cinema and I make movies for the big screen,” he added. “I know where to go after that. And that’s fine. But I always thought of a film not just for opening weekend but for the distance.”
“Cinema is my love. It’s my passion. I always go to the movies when they come out – I put my cap on and sit in the audience with everyone. I come in, I want to see the trailers.”
It’s no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic put the brakes on Cruise’s other upcoming film, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Other studios took a chance, releasing their movies online, with Marvel’s Black Widow making waves as one of the first. But Cruise was adamant this would never happen with Top Gun sequel, Maverick.
He also hinted that making films for the big screen is a very different process compared to making films for streaming services.
Source: IGN