Register

    “Top Gun: Maverick” flies to 2022 due to coronavirus surge

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1254 Views
    This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Tom Cruise portraying Capt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in a scene from "Top Gun: Maverick." Paramount Pictures on Wednesday postponed the release of the film, sending another of the fall’s top movies out of 2021 due to the rise in coronavirus cases and the delta variant. Instead of opening Nov. 19, the “Top Gun” sequel, starring Tom Cruise, will instead debut Memorial Day weekend next year, on May 27. (Paramount Pictures via AP)

    By Jake Coyle, Film Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    Paramount Pictures on Wednesday postponed the release of "Top Gun: Maverick," sending another of the fall's top movies out of 2021 due to the rise in coronavirus cases and the delta variant. 

    Instead of opening Nov. 19, the "Top Gun" sequel, starring Tom Cruise, will instead debut Memorial Day weekend next year, on May 27. Additionally, "Mission: Impossible 7" will be delayed from May 27 to Sept. 30 next year. 

    The postponement is the latest setback for Hollywood's once-hopeful fall movie season. The delta-driven surge has upended the industry's plans for some return to normality at multiplexes. The flight of "Top Gun: Maverick" follows a similar delay for Paramount's "Clifford the Big Red Dog." Paramount also on Wednesday pushed "Jackass Forever" from Oct. 22 to Feb. 4. 

    While some studios have hedged their bets with big releases by simultaneously streaming them on release, Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures have tried to stay the course of a more traditional theatrical release. Sony earlier delayed "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" from September to Oct. 15 due to the rise in cases. Following Paramount's announcement, Sony on Wednesday moved "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" from Nov. 11 to Nov. 19. 

    But several prominent big-budget releases haven't vacated the fall. Most notably, MGM and United Artists' James Bond movie "No Time to Die" remains slated for release in North America on Oct. 8.

    Until recently, Paramount was gearing up to release "Maverick." The studio last month teased the film's first 13 minutes at CinemaCon, the annual exhibitor convention. 

    Paramount hasn't kept all of its films. It has sold off some release, like "The Tomorrow War," with Chris Pratt, to streamers. "Infinite," a poorly reviewed sci-fi thriller with Mark Wahlberg, debuted directly on Paramount+. But films like "Top Gun: Maverick" would in normal times hope to approach as much as $1 billion in worldwide box office. 

    Universal's "F9" has grossed more than any other movie during the pandemic, with more than $700 million in ticket sales. But most of its receipts came before the delta variant surge. Paramount's "A Quiet Place Part II," one of the first tentpoles to wade into theaters earlier this year, took in close to $300 million worldwide. 

    Tags:coronavirusMission: Impossible 7Paramount PicturesTop Gun: Maverick



    Christmas TV movies are in their Taylor Swift era, with 2 Swift-inspired films airing this season

    Friday, November 22, 2024
    This image released by Hallmark Media shows Hunter King, left, and Tyler Hynes in a scene from "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. (Joshua Haines/Hallmark Media via AP)

    Two new Christmas TV movies have a Taylor Swift connection that her fans would have no problem decoding.

    "Christmas in the Spotlight" debuts Saturday on Lifetime. It stars Jessica Lord as the world's biggest pop star and Laith Wallschleger as a pro football player, who meet and fall in love — not unlike Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

    "It's clearly inspired by Taylor and Travis, but I don't know them and I don't know what is going on behind the scenes. I only know what's been put out there," said Eirene Tran Donohue, a longtime, devoted fan who jumped at the opportunity to write a script even loosely based on her favorite musician.

    She was inspired by the couple's support of each other's accomplishments, particularly Kelce's ease with dating the star despite the glare of the spotlight, adding, "I love the way that he celebrates her."

    Tran Donohue wants fellow Swift fans to know she wrote the script with them in mind.

    "There are so many Easter eggs," she said of little details added that a Swift fan would pick up on. "I put in as many as I could."

    Then, on Nov. 30, Hallmark will air "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story." Instead of a nod to Swift, it's an ode to family traditions and bonding, like rooting for a sports team. Hallmark's headquarters is also in Kansas City, so it makes sense why the company chose the Chiefs to be highlighted.

    In this story, written by Julie Sherman Wolfe, sparks fly when a new employee for the Chiefs organization (Tyler Hynes) meets a woman — played by Hunter King — whose family's dedication to the team goes back generations.

    Sherman Wolfe, a San Francisco 49ers fan, said she got the call a week after Super Bowl LVIII, when the Chiefs... Read More

    MySHOOT Profiles


    Add A Comment