‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Flying Back to Theaters for a Limited Time

Paramount Pictures plans to take advantage of the bleak movie release schedule before Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water opens by giving Tom Crusie fans one more chance to see Top Gun: Maverick on the big screen. The highest-grossing movie of the year will fly back into select theaters on Friday, 20 days before it is available to stream on Paramount+. The two-week run will be exclusive to premium large-format and IMAX screens, which are easily the best way to see Maverick.

“Top Gun: Maverick truly epitomizes the magic of the moviegoing experience, and we wanted to provide fans the opportunity to once again enjoy this cinematic spectacle as it was meant to be seen,” Chris Aronson, President of Domestic Distribution for Paramount Pictures, said in a statement to Deadline Tuesday. “This feels like the perfect time to bring Top Gun: Maverick back to theaters so audiences everywhere can once again experience how special this film is.”

The limited re-release will give Paramount a chance to add to Maverick‘s already astronomical gross. It is already the highest-grossing movie of 2022, pulling in $1.4 billion worldwide since its May 25 release. Maverick grossed $716.6 million in North America alone, putting it at fifth all-time. The movie also holds the 11th spot on the all-time worldwide box office chart. The action hit also made history as the first movie ever to top the box office chart on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.

Cruise stars as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, 36 years after the role made him a superstar in 1986’s Top Gun. In the sequel, Maverick is enlisted to teach a new crop of elite Navy pilot recruits to prepare them for a dangerous mission. The group of pilots includes Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s late friend LTJG Nick “Goose” Bradshaw. Jennifer Connelly also stars as Penny Benjamin, Maverick’s love interest. Val Kilmer returned for a heartbreaking scene with Cruise, as he reprised his role as Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky.

Considering the eye-popping success of Maverick, it seems only natural that a third Top Gun would be in the works. In July, Teller told Entertainment Tonight he was hoping Cruise would be open to the idea. “That would be great, but that’s all up to TC,” Teller said. “It’s all up to Tom. I’ve been having some conversations with him about it. We’ll see.”

Cruise will probably be too busy to make Top Gun 3 in the immediate future. He is finishing up the next two Mission: Impossible movies. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One will be released on July 14, 2023. Dead Reckoning Part Two is scheduled for June 28, 2024.