Top Gun 3 Has Unlocked Its Best Chance Of A Series Box Office Record

Top Gun 3 is officially in development, and it has a chance of setting a new franchise box office record if it continues one aspect from Maverick. 1986’s Top Gun was a massive hit that became a memorable film of the 1980s. The film starred Tom Cruise as Maverick, a United States Naval Pilot attending training school. While Maverick is a skilled pilot, his reckless actions and arrogant attitude put him at odds with his superiors and his fellow pilots.

The 1986 film grossed around $357.5 million worldwide. 36 years later, the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, debuted in theaters, and was a mega success. The film was the second-highest-grossing movie of 2022, earning around $1.5 million worldwide. It was also a critical hit and currently holds a 96% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won for Best Sound.

In the film, Cruise reprises his role as Maverick, who returns to Top Gun to train a young crew of pilots for a perilous mission. One of the pilots he’s training is Rooster, played by Miles Teller, the son of his best friend, Goose, who died in the first film. Rooster is part of the younger group of pilots that also includes Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Lewis Pullman, Jay Ellis, and Danny Ramirez.

During CinemaCon 2026, Paramount confirmed that Top Gun 3 is on the way. According to Deadline, the studio shared that “a script is being written,” with Cruise “expected to reprise his role of Pete Mitchell,” and Jerry Bruckheimer returning to produce. However, it wasn’t revealed whether any of the other cast members from Top Gun: Maverick would be returning for the upcoming film. Considering that many of Maverick‘s cast have become bigger names in Hollywood since the 2022 film, bringing them back could lead to a box office boost for the third film.

Top Gun 3 Can Bring Back Many Of Maverick’s Cast Members Who Have Become Bigger Stars Since 2022

It has been almost four years since Maverick, and many of the actors who portrayed the film’s young crew of pilots have become bigger Hollywood stars. Arguably the biggest star of that group is Powell, who played Hangman. Since Maverick, Powell has starred in many films, including Anyone But You, Hit-Man, How To Make A Killing, The Running Man, and Twisters. He also recently joined the Nintendo universe as the voice of Fox McCloud in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

Lewis Pullman, who played Bob, has starred in films like Salem’s Lot and The Testament of Ann Lee, but many will recognize from his recent MCU role as Sentry in Thunderbolts*. Pullman is set to reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday, and is also part of the cast of Spaceballs: The New One. Ramirez, who played Fanboy, is also a part of the cast of Doomsday, portraying the MCU’s new Falcon, which he recently played in Captain America: Brave New World.

Barbaro, who played Phoenix, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown. She also recently appeared in Crime 101. Ellis, who played Payback, has also been in some notable projects since Maverick, including Freaky Tales and Peacock’s All Her Fault. These actors have seen their stardom rise since Maverick, and Top Gun 3 needs to take advantage of having all of these actors in the franchise.

Could Top Gun 3 Be An Even Bigger Hit Than Maverick?

It would be difficult for any movie to beat Maverick‘s nearly $1.5 million worldwide gross. However, Top Gun 3 does have a chance. While Maverick did appeal to people who loved the original film or were nostalgic for it, it also reached a new generation of audiences who may not have seen the 1986 film. The third film will have multi-generational appeal, and will have a star-studded cast, assuming it can bring back the second film’s cast.

One issue it could have is that director Joseph Kosinski may not be returning to direct the film. With a new director, the third film may not be as good as Maverick, which could lead to fewer audiences heading to theaters. Still, with Cruise and Bruckheimer involved, there’s still reason to believe it could be great. Top Gun 3 will likely be a huge hit, but the question will be whether it can match the second film’s impressive box office total.