Theatrical releases being expedited to streaming services is the new norm thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it would be terrible for Mission: Impossible - Fallout.

Strong reviews and positive word of mouth have helped Top Gun: Maverick soar to the top of 2022's box office charts as the year's highest-grossing film. It is just the second movie to cross the $1 billion mark since Top Gun: Maverick is certainly a high-octane spectacle that can only be fully appreciated on the biggest of screens.

Related: How Maverick's Box Office Compares To Top Gun 1 (Adjusted For Inflation)

Given Top Gun: Maverick's box office tally sured $1 billion as of June 26th, 2022, it would be a terrible idea for Paramount to even think about streaming the movie. The film industry learned quickly there are no profit guarantees during a pandemic, and Paramount is surely keeping that in mind with the surprise success of Top Gun: Maverick. Maverick's week-to-week box office drops have been so minimal that they serve as continued proof of the franchise's success - meaning releasing Top Gun: Maverick to at-home audiences would kneecap the movie's already record-breaking potential at this point.

Tom Cruise as Maverick in Top Gun: Maverick

Paramount Pictures has several familiar IPs under its belt, but none of them are as prolific as the MCU or even Warner Bros.' DCEU, meaning Paramount does not have a superhero to lean on during uncertain times. Yet  is a turning point for movie theaters as the film's incredible performance and demographical data both indicate a shift to normalcy as far as the box office is concerned. Top Gun: Maverick's journey to $1 billion has been fueled by older-skewing audiences returning to theaters after a lengthy, pandemic-induced absence. That is in contrast to the many superhero movies that predominantly younger-skewing audiences have ed since the pandemic began.

There are legitimate reasons to be encouraged about the film industry's future, but that future is not guaranteed. Streaming benefits viewers at home, but for Paramount, it appears essential that they milk Top Gun: Maverick's runaway box office success for as long as possible. That is the financially sensible thing to do - because if they can't take advantage of the Avengers or the Justice League like their competitors can, then they have to utilize the next closest thing, which, for contemporary audiences, appears to be Tom Cruise's Maverick.

More: How Much Money Will Tom Cruise Make For Top Gun: Maverick?

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