It appears that even the sky might not be the limit for “Top Gun: Maverick.” After easily climbing to the No. 1 movie of the year in terms of box office receipts, the new “Top Gun” flick is now breaking viewership records on Paramount+.
The movie was finally made available to stream on Paramount+ on Thursday, Dec. 22. Since then, it has surpassed “Sonic the Hedgehog” as the biggest streaming debut in the history of the service, according to reporting from Deadline. “Top Gun: Maverick” outpaced “Sonic” by 60%, although Paramount did not release specific viewer numbers for either film.
The film, a direct sequel to the original “Top Gun,” features the return of Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who heads back to the Top Gun flight school to prepare a new generation of pilots for a dangerous mission. Among the younger aviators is Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s late friend Goose (Anthony Edwards in the first movie). Jennifer Connelly plays Maverick’s love interest.
“We are thrilled to see a continuation of the film’s massive record-breaking success by becoming the #1 most-watched movie premiere on Paramount+,” Paramount’s chief programming officer Tanya Giles said according to Deadline. “We continue to benefit from the highly anticipated theatrical hits from Paramount Pictures that come to the service delivering fans a new way to continue to watch and re-watch their favorite movies.”
The movie’s success had a trickle-down effect for Paramount+, as well. The first “Top Gun” movie saw its viewership rise by 400% in the leadup to the streaming release of “Maverick,” and Cruise’s “Mission Impossible” franchise saw a 140% bump in views.
Any way you slice it, “Top Gun: Maverick” has been a resounding success for Paramount. Despite making audiences wait over 30 years to see a sequel, the film raked in over $1.4 billion at the box office and remained in theaters for over 200 days before heading to streaming. That transition to Paramount+ clearly hasn’t slowed the film down one iota, which is just how Maverick would want it. You can stream “Top Gun: Maverick” on Paramount+ today.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.