Do you feel the need? The need for elaborately-themed entertainment experiences?
Well then great news. Paramount announced today that they are opening just such an attraction, based on their 2022 mega-hit Top Gun: Maverick. According to a press release, the Maverick attraction “will seamlessly combine breathtaking visuals, high-energy entertainment, and the legendary spirit of Top Gun, complete with fighter jet simulators and more.”
They also promise “guests will embark on a pulse-pounding mission using state-of-the-art thrill ride systems and immersive technology that will redefine the meaning of adventure, then kick back at the reimagined Top Gun: Maverick’s Hard Deck bar and restaurant featuring live piano singalongs.” I can’t even make a joke about singing “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” there; they’re actually doing that!
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It feels like such an attraction should be located in San Diego; instead it’s being planned for a site at the STRAT Hotel, Casino & Tower in Las Vegas.
Top Gun: Maverick was the long-awaited sequel to 1986’s Top Gun, the Tony Scott action film about Naval fighter pilots that turned Tom Cruise into a superstar. In the sequel, Cruise’s character, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, returns to his alma mater to become a flight instructor, training a new generation of pilots for a deadly mission. Despite coming decades after the original movie, Maverick was an even bigger hit than the original Top Gun, and grossed $1.49 billion in theaters worldwide.
While this new project represents the first attraction themed to Top Gun: Maverick, it will not be the first theme park ride inspired by Top Gun. In 1993, California’s Great America park — which was owned by Paramount at the time — opened a Top Gun roller coaster. The ride still exists today, albeit under a different name. When Paramount sold Great America in 2006, it removed the Top Gun branding and redubbed the attraction “Flight Deck.” The specific references to Top Gun may be gone, but the ride maintains its Naval aviator theming.
This brand-new Top Gun: Maverick attraction is currently scheduled to open in Las Vegas in the summer of 2028.
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Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky
