‘Stop Stealing Credits’: Sony Pictures Boss Says Top Gun: Maverick Owes Its Stratospheric Success To Venom 2 For Paving The Path For Theaters

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Becoming of the biggest hits, Top Gun: Maverick raked in about $1.2 billion so far worldwide. The sequel sees Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer return to their roles, as well as debuting Jennifer Connelly into the universe.

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Top Gun
Tom Cruise as ‘Maverick’ in the original film

The movie saw Tom Cruise return to the roots of the film, with him once again doing the impossible. Many are calling it one of the best sequels too, as it respects the original film, adds interesting characters, and builds upon the lore.

Related: ‘I’ve been having some conversations’: Miles Teller Teases Potential Top Gun 3 After Maverick’s Stratospheric Success

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Covid-19 cripples cinema

Due to the restrictions imposed during the pandemic, movies faced an existential issue as they release the movie in theatres. This led to OTT platforms gaining ground and still remaining a strong proponent of movies.

A question asked was whether which film would bring the audience back to theatres. Christopher Nolan’s Tenet was the top contender to achieve the need but failed to interest the fans with its complex plot and lack of relatable characters.

Also read: Why Top Gun: Maverick Conquered The 1 Billion Club When Doctor Strange 2 & The Batman Couldn’t

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Tenet
Tenet was released to theatres on September 3, 2020

According to Reuters, Oscar-winning film directors James Cameron, Clint Eastwood, and Martin Scorsese teamed up in 2020 with theatre owners to write a letter to leaders of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, they pleaded “theaters may not survive the impact of the pandemic.”

You may also like: Billion Dollar Movies Like Top Gun: Maverick Fans Thought Would Fizzle Out in Theaters

Sony claims credit for Top Gun

Interestingly, Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group co-presidents Sanford Panitch and Josh Greenstein spoke in an interview with Vulture, and they claimed it was Venom: Let there be Charge that reinvigorated the theatre’s billings, they said:

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“There’s so much press about ‘Top Gun’ right now. It’s like, ‘The movie business is back!…. In a weird way, I would say ‘Top Gun’ is benefitting from us taking our shot. ‘Venom’ is the start of that story that allows ‘Top Gun’ to do the kind of business it did.”

Read more: Venom Reveals Why Their Pronoun is They/Them in Hilarious Fan Video With Mindblowing Analogy

Venom
Venom remains separate from the MCU timeline despite the temporary crossover.

Released in October of last year, ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ starred Tom Hardy as the titular character and Woody Harrelson as the villain. The movie grossed a total of $506 million worldwide. Furthermore, describing their strategy of reviving the cinema, they stated:

“Everyone had pushed their big movies to this year, to this summer. We took a big gamble putting ‘Venom’ in theaters. Then we doubled down with ‘Ghostbusters.’ Then our biggest bet was when every other tentpole had fled, we tripled down with ‘Spider-Man’ — our biggest, most important piece of IP.”

Check out: Andrew Garfield Would Like To Play Spider-Man Against Tom Hardy’s Venom; Says, “That’s A Cool Idea”

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The movie Top Gun: Maverick is also a good sign for non-superhero films, as DC-Marvel films have been dominating the box office for quite some time. Maybe, this movie might also help other directors make original stories.

Top Gun: Maverick is now in theatres.

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Written by Nikhil Makwana

Articles Published: 271

Nikhil Makwana is a writer for FandomWire, with interests in DC comics, anime, indie films, independent films, and Nicolas Cage. He’s pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in BBA,LLB from IFIM Law School. When he’s not writing, he reads books such as the classic Dune series and existential essays from Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre.