Top Gun: Maverick Release Date Moved Up by Paramount

The high-flying sequel to Top Gun that movie fans have been asking for since 1986 is now set to hit theaters a little early than planned. Paramount announced on Monday that the release date for Top Gun: Maverick had been moved up by two days. The film was initially scheduled to hit theaters on Friday, June 26th, but will now arrive on Wednesday, June 24th. It's not that big of a move as far as fans are concerned, but it does help Paramount quite a bit in what could be a crowded summer weekend at the box office.

Disney and Pixar's introspective animation Soul opens in theaters just one week before, on June 19th. The John Chu-directed In the Heights musical, based on the stage show from Hamilton's Lin Manuel Miranda, debuts on the 26th. Moving back to Wednesday gives Top Gun: Maverick just a little bit of breathing room, and helps pad its opening weekend numbers a bit.

Top Gun will need a strong opening because the following weekend is going to be a big one, with both Minions: The Rise of Gru and the Ryan Reynolds-starring Free Guy arriving on July 3rd. Hopefully the extra two days will give Maverick the head start it needs to keep pace with its box office rivals.

Rather than a reboot of the Top Gun property, this new film is a continuation of the original story that sees Tom Cruise reprise his role as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a much older pilot returning to the Top Gun school to help train a younger class of recruits. The film also stars Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jay Ellis, Monica Barbaro, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Jon Hamm. The film is directed by Joseph Kosinski with a script from Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie.

Are you looking forward to seeing Top Gun: Maverick in theaters this summer? Will you be hitting up the theater two days earlier than expected? Let us know in the comments!