The release of the blockbuster sequel to the 1986 action/adventure titled Top Gun, shook the box office to the core upon its release. But Top Gun: Maverick seems to have done much more than just making colossal profits; besides earning the crown of the highest-grossing movie of 2022, the Tom Cruise-led film also proved to be an actual lifesaver. Yes, literally.
Jerry Bruckheimer, the American film producer who served as one of the producers on the sequel, recently revealed how Maverick turned out to become an emblem of hope for someone on the verge of ending his life.
Tom Cruise is really out there being the real-life Superman.
Top Gun: Maverick Saved A Man’s Life
Top Gun: Maverick started breaking records right from its opening weekend and became a booming success, even more so than the first movie. With both critics and audiences hailing the film with unending praise, the sequel soon achieved the number one position at the box office. But beyond these monetary accomplishments and critical acclamation, the Joseph Kosinski-helmed movie also managed to save a man’s life, which is perhaps the greatest achievement after all.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jerry Bruckheimer, while talking about the importance of test screenings, opened up about how Top Gun 2 inspired a suicidal man to continue living his life instead of relinquishing hope.
“I was in Kentucky for a funeral, and this woman comes up to me and said, ‘I work at this company and we have a contest of who can see Top Gun the most times. I’ve seen it 25.’ And a young girl had come up to me and said, ‘My dad was suicidal and going to end his life. He saw Top Gun. It gave him hope.’ You captivate an audience and you can change people’s lives.”
It looks like Tom Cruise really did prove how the sky is the only limit and nothing is inconquerable, not even life. Kudos to him and the film crew for creating something so inspiring and powerful that it restored someone’s faith in life.
Jerry Bruckheimer Explains the Value of Test Screenings
Bruckheimer is a renowned Hollywood filmmaker who helped produce Top Gun: Maverick along with Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, and David Ellison. While talking about “the test screenings on Maverick”, the 79-year-old television producer explained the significance of test screenings.
Test screenings basically refer to the preview screening of a film/show before it is released commercially all over the world. This process helps to capture the views and reactions of the audience thereby helping to check the potential of a particular movie. Though these can’t really determine whether a film will be a hit or flop, test screenings do provide valuable insight with regard to the project. At least that’s how Bruckheimer looks at the whole thing.
“Quite a bit. They tell you a lot, but they can’t predict whether it’s a hit. The test screenings on Maverick had a high score, but it wasn’t through the roof. The lower part of the score was the younger audience, while older people who saw the original were very enthusiastic. Then it came out and just started snowballing, and it hit from ages 8 to 80.”
After all, Top Gun 2‘s test screening saved a life, so these screenings certainly aren’t a waste of time that’s for sure.
Top Gun: Maverick can be streamed on Paramount Plus from 22 December 2022.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
