Over the weekend, Top Gun: Maverick hit yet another outstanding mark as the blockbuster film’s premiere on Paramount Plus made it the streaming platform’s most-watched movie everTop Gun: Maverick landed on Paramount Plus right before Christmas, but only after submitting fans a long waiting period of nearly six months since the film came out, and yet it seems like this proved to be many people’s preferred movie over the holidays. That shouldn’t be too surprising as the Top Gun sequel comfortably reigned supreme as this year's most successful movie and considering the fantastic reception it got across all sectors.In this case, it was Paramount Plus itself (via Deadline) that confirmed Top Gun: Maverick as the number one global premiere ever on the service, stating that the movie easily surpassed the previous record holder Sonic the Hedgehog 2 by 60%. Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins complemented the news of Top Gun’s “runaway success” by highlighting the studios’ release strategy that allowed the Tom Cruise blockbuster to assert control of the box office and now streaming.
It’s not as if every movie can simply copy Top Gun’s commercial formula, as Robbins said a key part of the film’s lasting appeal is that “our studio has unlocked the value of variable windowing that streaming provides”, given that Joseph Kosinski’s film didn’t fade away after a rushed move to streaming. An even more impressive feat is that the entire Mission: Impossible franchise also got a 140% boost in viewership this Christmas weekend, according to Paramount.
As usual, like every other streaming service out there, Paramount did not provide specific viewership numbers for either Top Gun: Maverick or Sonic 2, but the feat is still quite impressive given Paramount Plus has reached a total of 46 million subscribers worldwide. All this comes on the back of the past couple of weeks during which Paramount rereleased the film in theaters and China’s own Top Gun: Maverick copycat was pulled before its premiere for failing to meet the same quality standard.
It’s beyond debate that Top Gun: Maverick was 2022’s hit movie, although it seems like Avatar: The Way of Water could have very well given it a run for its money had it not come out at the tail end of the year, albeit James Cameron's sci-fi epic being released in China.
Top Gun: Maverick is available for streaming exclusively on Paramount Plus.
Source: Deadline