Tom Cruise just announced that 1986’s Top Gun and 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick will be making one-week return to theaters on May 13. The original film is hitting its 40th anniversary in May 2026. It first opened in New York City on May 12, 1986.
It’s a big deal for fans, having both films back to back on the big screen. It’s exactly the kind of event Cruise has long been a proponent of. He posted about it on social media with the caption, “If you feel the need… Two films. One big screen.”
This slot will be the fourth major theatrical release of Top Gun in 40 years. Along with its original 1986 release, a 3D release in 2013 and a pre-Maverick re-release in 2021. The first film was the top grossing film of 1986, making just under $360 million worldwide. Thirty-six years later, Top Gun: Maverick smashed those numbers with over $1.5 billion worldwide.
There’s a bittersweet side to the anniversary too, as this will be the first Top Gun theatrical event without Tom “Iceman” Kazansky portrayed by Val Kilmer, who died on April 1, 2025 at 65.
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There’s a whole lot of news beyond the re-release, however. Paramount announced that Top Gun 3 is in development at the studio’s CinemaCon show in Las Vegas, with Jerry Bruckheimer again heading the franchise. “Top Gun 3 officially in development with a script well underway, reuniting Tom Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer,” Paramount film co-head Josh Greenstein said at the event.
The film will serve as a direct sequel to director Joseph Kosinski‘s 2022 juggernaut and Maverick screenwriter Ehren Kruger will write the third film. No director or release date has yet been announced.
And on top of that this is owned by David Ellison. Before the film came back, the one thing he said Paramount would be working on first was Top Gun 3. So this is not just early development talk.
The hype is real.
Fans who want to book the milestone in real life can also celebrate the “Top Gun 40th Celebration” at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego over Memorial Day Weekend 2026.
