A Tom Cruise Blockbuster Hit Is Trending On Streaming
The original Top Gun starring Tom Cruise is currently ranked #3 on Netflix.
This article is more than 2 years old
Over the summer, Tom Cruise made his triumphant return as the iconic Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in the explosive sequel to Top Gun, which absolutely dominated at the box office and is currently the highest-grossing picture of the year with an astonishing global total of nearly $1.5 billion. Now, the original 1986 film is crushing it on streaming. According to Flix Patrol, the classic action flick is ranked #3 on the top ten most streamed movies on Paramount+.
In the film, Tom Cruise stars as Pete Mitchell (aka Maverick), a daring young pilot who is sent to Miramar Naval Air Station for advanced training. While there, he vies with Val Kilmer’s Tom Kasansky (aka Iceman) for the coveted Top Gun award. Haunted by his father’s mysterious and untimely demise, Maverick also fights to prove his worth to the school’s no-nonsense astrophysics instructor.
Although his career was already rapidly taking off in the wake of appearing in acclaimed films such as Risky Business, All the Right Moves, and The Outsiders, Tom Cruise reached superstar status following the release of Top Gun. He was offered the role while filming the feature Legend in London, and although he was initially hesitant to accept the part, director Tony Scott’s brother Ridley Scott was able to convince him to take the role.
Oddly enough, Stranger Things star Matthew Modine was originally offered the part of Pete Mitchell, but he turned it down because he felt the movie’s pro-military stance conflicted with his politics.
Several years before Tom Cruise signed on to star in the picture, Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. were crafting the screenplay for Top Gun, drawing inspiration from an article appearing in the May 1983 issue of California magazine by Ehud Yonay. The first draft of the script did little to impress producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, but production on the project eventually advanced following a series of rewrites. Tony Scott was hired to helm the movie after producers saw a commercial he had filmed that showcased a Saab 900 turbo racing a Saab 37 Viggen fighter jet.
In addition to Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, Top Gun stars Tim Robbins, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, Meg Ryan, Adrian Pasdar, and Barry Tubb. The film was released in theaters on May 16, 1986, where it earned a mere $8 million during its debut weekend. Even though the movie opened to mixed reviews from critics and currently sits with a score of 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, the action flick managed to gross over $357 million globally by the end of its theatrical run following positive word of mouth from traditional audiences.
Since the film’s release over three decades ago, Tom Cruise has become one of the biggest celebrities on the planet, headlining some of the highest-grossing films of all time. Although he appeared in a handful of features beforehand, it was Top Gun that really helped start the actor’s ascent into stardom. Despite all its cheesiness, the film is widely considered an action classic.
