The start of 2021 is looking a lot like 2020 as films slated for release in the early part of the year have already delayed their releases due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no film of significance with a theatrical release scheduled until May 7, 2021, when Black Widow is expected to hit screens, but even that is looking pretty dire at the moment. Paramount Pictures pushed A Quiet Place Part II from April into the fall and in the back of a lot of people's minds is what are they going to do about their other big tentpole release of the year? That tentpole release is Top Gun: Maverick, the highly-anticipated sequel to 1986's Top Gun which has already seen its share of delays. The film was supposed to open during the summer of 2020 but it was pushed to December of 2020 as the studio likely thought we'd be in a much better place with the pandemic. That wasn't to be as cases surged throughout November and December and seeing that writing on the wall, Paramount delayed the sequel until July 2, 2021. That date seems safe but, as we've seen throughout 2020, this pandemic is extremely unpredictable and with the vaccine rolling out slower than anticipated, are the theatrical releases in July really safe? Paramount Pictures seems to think so and that's why they have declared that the film will not be delayed again and it will not debut on streaming.
Executives at Paramount Pictures have a couple of reasons why they have no plans to delay the film again or go for a streaming debut. The big reason is Tom Cruise. They respect his wishes for a theatrical release and they don't want to mess up their working relationship with the actor because it has proven to be quite lucrative. Beyond that, Paramount President of Distribution Chris Aronson is expressing faith in the vaccine rollout accelerating which will make gathering at movie theaters much safer:
"We have no plans to move our theatrical release of Top Gun. 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."
I'd like to believe we'll be in a much better place by July and that key markets like Los Angeles and New York City will have their movie theaters reopened by then. It seems very feasible that this can be done but a lot of it is determined by speeding up the process of distributing the vaccines. President Joe Biden has stated that hopes to have most Americans vaccinated by the end of summer and he seems to be sticking to his guns about administering 100 million does in his first 100 days. A lot can change between now and the release of Top Gun: Maverick in July. I'm really hoping we'll have a semblance of normalcy by then.
Top Gun: Maverick takes place decades after the original film and the sequel still finds Maverick (Tom Cruise) is still one of the navy's best pilots. He is where he belongs, continuing to push the envelope rather than taking a cushy desk job. The sequel soon finds him training a new generation of pilots and wounds from the past threaten to derail that training. The film, directed by Joseph Kosinski, also stars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmer.
Do YOU think Paramount will stick to their guns and not delay Top Gun: Maverick again?