Top Gun: Maverick Release Date Moves to 2022

Another major domino in the major movie delays has fallen, and things are starting to feel eerily reminiscent of March 2020. With COVID-19 cases on the rise once again — despite the existence of a vaccine that is readily available in the United States — movie studios are starting to push back some of their big tentpoles in hopes that greener pastures are ahead. This now includes the highly anticipated Top Gun: Maverick, which will no longer be hitting theaters in 2021.

On Wednesday, news broke that Paramount was moving several of its upcoming release dates, including the Top Gun sequel. Tom Cruise‘s Thanksgiving tentpole is now being pushed to May 27, 2022. This move actually affects more than one Cruise vehicle, as that date was previously reserved for Mission: Impossible 7. The latest chapter in the Mission: Impossible saga will now open on September 30, 2022.

Paramount shifted three release dates on Wednesday, though the third doesn’t have anything to do with Tom Cruise (that we know of, at least). Jackass Forever was supposed to hit theaters on October 22nd, but that has now been shifted to February 4, 2022. Paramount has moved all of its big releases for the rest of the year.

The next major movie to hit theaters is Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which debuts this weekend. There is no chance of that film being delayed at this point — it’s coming out no matter what. Everything beyond Shang-Chi, though, feels up in the air now.

Many eyes will turn next to Sony, who has three major releases left on the calendar for 2021, and no dedicated streaming service where it can unveil and day-and-date premiere. The studio has Venom: Let There Be Carnage debuting in October, having already been pushed back from September, followed by Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Spider-Man: No Way Home. At this point, it’s fair to assume all three could be in danger of moving, though the studio probably wants to wait to make a decision about Spider-Man until the last possible second.

Are you disappointed to see more movies getting delayed? Let us know in the comments!