If you’re a fan of jet-setting and gun-toting flicks, there’s no way you haven’t come across The Top Gun movies. For now, the franchise has only two releases. The first was the titular release, Top Gun which came in 1986, while the second dropped with the release of Top Gun: Maverick close to decades later in 1986.
Both films were commercially successful in their own times, with Top Gun generating $357 million on a $15 million budget and Top Gun: Maverick grossing $1.496 billion on a $170 million budget. Furthermore, the two films earned several accolades, including two Academy prizes for Best Original Song and Best Sound.
We’re going over all you need to know about the franchise so you see how it all began, how far it has progressed, and where it is headed in the future.
Here Are The Two Movies In The Top Gun Franchise
1. Top Gun
- Released date: May 1986
- Director: Tony Scott
- Producers: Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer
- Starring: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGills, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, and Tom Skerritt
- Box office: $357 million
Top Gun, the first film in the franchise, was directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. It was released by Paramount Pictures in 1986. The screenplay for the film was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. and was based on “Top Guns,” an article written by Israeli author Ehud Yonay and published in California magazine in 1983.
The movie follows Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise, a naval aviator aboard the US aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. He is notorious for not following direct orders from his commanding officers and rather doing his bidding. He was subsequently sent to train at the United States Navy Fighter Weapon School (Top Gun) at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Deigo, California.
While there, his best friend and radar intercept officer (RIO), Lieutenant Junior Grade Nike “Goose” Bradshaw, (Anthony Edwards) was killed during a training simulation.
He was redeployed to the USS Enterprise as one of the best from Top to offer cover in a rescue mission for the SS Layton, which had strayed into hostile waters.
Besides Tom Cruise as the leading character, Anthony Edwards (Nike “Goose” Bradshaw, Kelly McGills (Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood), Val Kilmer (LT Tom “Iceman” Kazansky), and Tom Skerritt (CDR Mike “Viper” Metcalf) appear in supporting roles. Others include Michael Ironside (LCDR Rick “Jester” Heatherly), John Stockwell (LTJG Leonard “Wolfman” Wolfe), and Rick Robbins (LTJG Sam “Merlin” Wells).
It Received Mixed Reviews But Was The Highest-Grossing Film Of 1986
When Top Gun was released, critics largely claimed that while the movie had electrifying moments, it failed to live up to its name. It has a 58% acceptance rating based on 76 critic reviews, a Metacritic score of 50 out of 100, and a CinemaScore grade of “A” on a scale of A+ to F.
Film critics like Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel scored the picture 2.5 and 3 out of 4 stars, meaning that it had a good action sequence. While Pauline Kael and Oliver Stone slammed it for attempting to redefine fashion and depicting war as a noble undertaking.
Despite the mixed reviews, the picture performed well at the box office, especially considering how much money was spent. Several accounts claim that a $15 million budget was expended on the film’s production.
It had grossed $357 million globally after it was dropped. $176.8 million was generated domestically, and $177 million was earned globally. Furthermore, $3 million was made in its 2013 IMAX re-release, including $471,982 in its 2021 re-release, bringing the domestic earnings to $180.3 million, up from $176.8 million initially.
Considering what was spent on production and doing the math, it is clear that the film made around $342 million in revenue. Given the time it was produced, this is fairly large. It’s no surprise that it was the highest-grossing domestic film of 1986.
It Earned Several Accolades, Including An Academy Award And A Golden Globe For Best Original Song
Top Gun received numerous awards upon its release in 1986, but it was the soundtrack of Take My Breath Away that received the most. It won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Sound. Other awards include a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental for the song Top Gun Anthem and a Brit Award for Best Soundtrack for Top Gun.
The film earned the People’s Choice Award for Best Motion Picture and was selected by the United States Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Film Registry.
2. Top Gun: Maverick
- Released date: April 2022 (CinemaCon), May 2022 (United States
- Director: Joseph Kosinski
- Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison
- Starring: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer
- Box office: $1.496 billion
Top Gun: Maverick came in 2022, 36 years after the original. From budgeting to execution, production, delivery, and box office, this one is everything the original film wasn’t.
Joseph Kosinski directed the film, which was co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, and David Ellison. Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reprised their roles as well.
The film follows United States Navy Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise), who was a test pilot before being assigned to the Top Gun school at NAS North Island in San Diego, California. He met the son of his departed friend from the first film while there.
Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), Jake “Hangman” Seresin (Glen Powell), LT Robert “Bob” Floyd (Lewis Pullman), Lt Natasha “Phoenix” Trace (Monica Barbaro), and LT Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia (Danny Ramirez) were among the Top Gun grads Cruise was tasked with teaching. He was in charge of preparing them for a lethal mission to destroy an unlicensed uranium enrichment plant before it became operational.
Top Gun: Maverick was released in 2022, first premiering at CinemaCon in April before being distributed theatrically in the United States by Paramount Pictures in May.
It’s The Second Highest-Grossing Film Of 2022 Behind Avatar: The Way of Water
It is worth noting that the producers of Top Gun: Maverick spent a remarkable $170 million to create one of the most expensive films of 2022. A really insane aspect of the production cost aside from what the cast and crew were paid, the producers used the services of the United States Navy and reportedly paid $11,374 per hour for pilots to fly the F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornets that were used in the film.
Also, the actors with flying roles were trained in a 3-month boot camp in various areas, including aerobatics, lighting, cinematography, and camera runs. Fortunately, the investment paid off handsomely, as the film was on the list of highest-grossing movies of 2022.
It was released in theaters on May 27, 2022, by Paramount Pictures in the United States. It grossed $126.7 million in its first three days, $90 million in its second weekend, and $51.9 million in its third weekend.
It also did well in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, earning $103.456 million in the United Kingdom, 101.667 million in Japan, 67.537 million in South Korea, and $65.44 million in Australia. $59.789 million in France, $39.294 million in Germain, $24.902 million in Taiwan, $22.236 million in Brazil, and $15.066 million in Mexico are among the others.
Taking everything into account, the film grossed $1.495 billion globally, placing it second only to Avatar: The Way of Water, which grossed $2.320 billion. Out of the total, $718.732 million came from the United States and Canada, while $776.963 million came from other countries.
With $718.732 million from domestic markets, Top Gun: Maverick became the highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada in 2022.
It Received Several Academy Nominations And Won 1
Top Gun: Maverick received positive reviews and high ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, while the original received mixed reviews. In addition, the film’s action and plot were commended by Pete Hammond, Brian Lloyd, Tatsam Mukherjee, and producer Quentin Tarantino.
Aside from favorable reviews, the film was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects, and it won Best Sound.
Will There Be Another to the Top Gun Movies?
With the commercial success of the Top Gun franchise which grossed $1.8 billion, it is only logical that fans would want the filmmakers to add to the growing list.
While it is unknown whether the second film will be followed by a sequel, Miles Teller, who played Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of Nike “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) in the first film, has claimed that he is in talks with Tom Cruise about a third film.
According to sources, Teller’s notion for a third film would center on his character, Rooster. However, Tom Cruise is solely responsible for the decision, and nothing has been heard from his own end at the moment. If the decision is made, we will have another, which will be known as Top Gun: Rooster.