Photo: Twitter / THR
To paraphrase that viral meme with Rose from the Titanic, it’s been 84 years. With the Top Gun franchise, it’s been less than that – only 36 years – but it probably still felt like an eternity for fans.
After several delays caused by the international health crisis. and Tom Cruise and Paramount Picture’s desire to have the sequel open in theaters first, Top Gun: Maverick is finally ready for the big screen. The worldwide movie premiere needed to be huge and memorable. And it was just that.
The world premiere took place in the San Diego harbor, where the historic USS Midway is docked as a museum. USS Midway is the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the U.S. in the 20th century: the perfect setting for the premiere of a movie that producer and leading man Tom Cruise described as a “love letter to aviation.”
Tom Cruise lived up to the – dare we say it – historic occasion by showing up in a helicopter he piloted himself. Surprisingly, given the setting, the aircraft was a French Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil. He landed on board as the crowd of reporters and fans cheered him on like a superstar, casually came out in a tailored suit, and walked over to the stage that had been set up for the purpose. He doesn’t do Uber, he joked. He doesn’t do simple, either.
Fans must know that Cruise usually flies himself in helicopters since he’s a certified pilot. As he filmed Mission: Impossible 7 in the UK last year, he would often cause a scene when he landed the aircraft – whether in people’s gardens, or a private golf club where he had booked reservations, it didn’t even matter.
Still, seeing him do it in person, especially on a former aircraft carrier, is a sight. Videos like the one included in the tweet below of the landing on the USS Midway have gone viral, prompting funny (but true) one-liners like “the Maverick has landed” and “the most Tom Cruise thing.”
If it’s enough to get you interested in seeing him reprise the Maverick role, know that the long-awaited and oft-delayed Top Gun sequel opens in theaters on May 27.
The world premiere took place in the San Diego harbor, where the historic USS Midway is docked as a museum. USS Midway is the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the U.S. in the 20th century: the perfect setting for the premiere of a movie that producer and leading man Tom Cruise described as a “love letter to aviation.”
Tom Cruise lived up to the – dare we say it – historic occasion by showing up in a helicopter he piloted himself. Surprisingly, given the setting, the aircraft was a French Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil. He landed on board as the crowd of reporters and fans cheered him on like a superstar, casually came out in a tailored suit, and walked over to the stage that had been set up for the purpose. He doesn’t do Uber, he joked. He doesn’t do simple, either.
Fans must know that Cruise usually flies himself in helicopters since he’s a certified pilot. As he filmed Mission: Impossible 7 in the UK last year, he would often cause a scene when he landed the aircraft – whether in people’s gardens, or a private golf club where he had booked reservations, it didn’t even matter.
Still, seeing him do it in person, especially on a former aircraft carrier, is a sight. Videos like the one included in the tweet below of the landing on the USS Midway have gone viral, prompting funny (but true) one-liners like “the Maverick has landed” and “the most Tom Cruise thing.”
If it’s enough to get you interested in seeing him reprise the Maverick role, know that the long-awaited and oft-delayed Top Gun sequel opens in theaters on May 27.
Tom Cruise just arrived to the #TopGunMaverick premiere in a helicopter he flew himself pic.twitter.com/uA4X0UL4DZ
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 4, 2022
Google News