Steven Spielberg Tells Tom Cruise, ‘Maverick’ Saved the Entire Industry. You Saved Hollywood’s Ass”

Here’s a great video from yesterday’s Oscars luncheon — Steven Spielberg telling Tom Cruise to his face, “You saved Hollywood’s ass, and you might have saved theatrical distribution. Seriously, ’Maverick’ might have saved the entire theatrical industry.”

He’s right. Maybe Cruise didn’t “save” the industry, but he definitely delayed the impending collapse of the theatrical experience.

If you remember, Cruise and Spielberg had a major falling out in 2005 during “War of the Worlds.” The rift was due in part to what Spielberg felt were Cruise's off-camera antics messing with the film's box-office grosses.

Here’s what I wrote about the “Top Gun: Maverick” phenomenon back on 11.29.22:

Joseph Kosinski’s film has grossed $1.48 billion globally, including $716 million domestically. Its nothing short of a phenomenon. The sensational success of “Top Gun: Maverick” might not have been possible any other year. It came at the absolute right time when moviegoers were, finally, feeling comfortable enough to go back to the movies. It was the ultimate summer movie.

I was mixed on it in my review, but upon watching it for a second time last month I can admit that there’s something to be said about a movie that just wants to entertain you in such an old-school fashioned way.

The reviews were great. A 78 on Metacritic is impressive, so is a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, critics clearly ate up the nostalgia factor with this one. I heard a lot of “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore” comments from people. Whereas in 1987, they were saying “please, stop making ‘em like this.”

The film is implausible but ABSOLUTELY NOBODY CARED. It’s massive pop entertainment with an incredibly pulse-pounding score and slick production. Know what? Originally-attached Tony Scott would have probably made a similar sequel if he were still alive today. His replacement, Joseph Kosinski, just played the hits, as they say.

“Top Gun: Maverick” is almost like a period piece, a movie that felt like it was set in a bygone era of America, one where wholesomeness was present and political polarization was non-existent. It’s no coincidence that the enemy is unidentified in the film, it’s also quite obvious Kosinski and Cruise didn’t want to bring any political baggage to their movie.

Right now, the world has to deal with potential nuclear war, remnants of a scarring pandemic, an economy in decline, and political divisiveness. “Top Gun: Maverick” was the cure for millions of Americans, a 2-hour antidote that made them forget about the hysteria.

Maverick’ feeds on pure unadulterated nostalgia of a yesteryear when Republican vs Democrat resulted in nothing more than polite political disagreements. A yearning for a time when we could all go to the movies and not be triggered by any political messaging. As the Chicago Tribune’s Michael Phillips wrote in his review, "It’s a pretty good time, and often a pretty good movie for the nervous blur we’re in right now. It’s cozy.”

Cozy. That’s a perfect description of the mass entertainment “Top Gun: Maverick” provided. It cuddled you. It didn’t provoke or trigger. Its frenetic editing was a perfect match for this generation’s scrolling Tik Tokers, and its nostalgic dreaminess the perfect fit for many boomers who want to be reminded of better times.