Top Gun: Maverick Is Finally Free to Stream — And It's Already Dominating

So, let's clear something up: despite a lot of internet wishful thinking, Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt aren't actually shooting Edge of Tomorrow 2 (not yet, anyway). But this week has been a good reminder of just how powerful Cruise is at pumping life back into his classic action franchises—even decades later. Case in point: Top Gun: Maverick is having yet another moment, and it's kind of wild how this movie just keeps taking off.

Cruise, Planes, and a 36-Year Wait

For anyone counting, it was an absolutely ludicrous 36 years between the original Top Gun (yep, 1986) and Top Gun: Maverick landing in theaters in May 2022. Cruise comes back as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, only this time he's not the cocky young hotshot—he's the instructor in charge of wrangling a fresh squad of pilots. A big part of the plot? He's training Goose's son (yes, that Goose) for a mission that basically sounds like a death wish. It's Maverick versus his past, and the stakes are big: if he can't get over his old baggage, these rookies might not make it back at all.

The buzz wasn't just hype, either. Maverick made over $1.4 billion at the box office, which would be impressive for any movie, but for a sequel that took almost four decades to show up? That's bonkers. The 1986 original was no slouch, by the way—$357 million against a $15 million budget, which more or less minted Cruise as action star royalty.

"Top Gun: Maverick manages to float somewhere between ridiculous and genuinely thrilling, which is something only Tom Cruise could pull off at this point."

Critics freaked out for it (96% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences loved it even more (99% audience score), and the movie quickly got called a must-see, not just for nostalgia addicts but for anyone who likes practical action set pieces (read: no obvious CGI planes crashing into each other every three seconds).

The Free Streaming Blitz

Here's where the story gets funny. Top Gun: Maverick is officially part of Paramount+ (which makes sense, Paramount owns the thing), but as of May 1, it hit Pluto TV—Paramount's own free, ad-supported service. This isn't your grandma's streaming platform; Pluto has everything from soap operas to random reruns of Unsolved Mysteries. And now, at least for a couple of weeks, it's the home of Maverick—and not just that, the movie is crushing it there.

According to tracking site Flix Patrol, Top Gun: Maverick is now Pluto TV's #1 movie, sitting comfortably ahead of heavy hitters like The Godfather, Gladiator, First Blood, and Grease. I'm not sure which is funnier: thinking of Maverick dogfighting Vito Corleone, or just imagining all those Paramount execs high-fiving over ad revenue.

How to Watch, But There's a Catch

There’s a twist for anyone hoping to join the ride for free. Maverick (plus a bunch of other Cruise favorites—including five Mission: Impossible movies) is only on Pluto TV for a limited time. After May 31, the whole Tom Cruise collection is gone from the free tier, so if you want to relive that nostalgia, you need to be fast. And yes, you’ll have to sit through some ads, but as far as streaming inconveniences go, it beats paying another subscription fee.

• Pluto TV: Top Gun: Maverick and five Mission: Impossible movies, free to stream (with ads) until May 31.
• Paramount+: Still the main streaming home if you're already subscribed.

Maverick Will Fly Again—Top Gun 3 is Official

After Maverick’s global pile of cash, it felt inevitable that there'd be a Top Gun 3, but Paramount made us wait almost four years for official word. They finally dropped the news at CinemaCon last month: Cruise and super-producer Jerry Bruckheimer are both coming back for a third film. The jury's out on whether Joseph Kosinski, who directed Maverick, will return, but Christopher McQuarrie—who helped write Maverick and basically shepherds all things Cruise these days—will be penning the script. It's still early days, so don't expect casting news or a release window just yet, but yeah—more flight school drama is coming.

So, if you missed Top Gun: Maverick in theaters, ignored it on Paramount+, but always wanted to watch Tom Cruise dodge G-forces and childhood trauma for free, this is your moment. Just don't wait until June 1 and find out the chance has flown by.