If it succeeds in drawing moviegoers into theaters, 2022 might well be on its way to a throwback summer season approaching pre-COVID 2019 box office action. Is that a pipe dream? Are people ready? The last couple of years have replaced our need for speed with a plea for caution, however ignored. And caution is something the “Top Gun” ethos does not recognize.
Two years is a long time to wait for landing clearance, but “Top Gun: Maverick” finally hits the runway in time for Memorial Day weekend. Sneak previews of the film returning Tom Cruise to the role of (now) Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, back in action and bucking authority left and right, have been received with a mixture of relief and rapture.
“The typical crowd of somnambulists at CinemaCon in Las Vegas are notoriously tough,” said IMDb.com senior editor Keith Simanton the other week. “So it’s remarkable that when shown ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ they applauded four times during the movie. During it. It’s going to be a massive hit.”
