Glen Powell’s 130-Minute Thriller That Took 12 Years To Make Passes One Of Streaming’s Biggest-Ever Milestones

Published Aug 24, 2026, 4:58 PM EDT

The two-time Golden Globe nominee has quickly become one of the biggest names in Hollywood in recent years across multiple genres, from the world of rom-coms in Anyone but You to the true story-inspired crime comedy Hit Man, which he co-wrote in his fourth collaboration with five-time Oscar nominee Richard Linklater. For many, one title still stands out among Powell's filmography as his best, and it just hit an all-time streaming milestone.

A little over four years after its theatrical release, Top Gun: Maverick has now hit an all-time high for Paramount+'s streaming charts. The film, which saw Powell co-star as hotshot young pilot LT Jake "Hangman" Seresin as he's trained by Tom Cruise's titular character for an intense new mission, took over 12 years to finally make, before it became the biggest movie of Cruise's career. Now, the Top Gun sequel has officially been on Paramount+'s Top 10 chart for two years straight, surpassing one of streaming's biggest-ever milestones.

Why Top Gun: Maverick Continues To Be One Of Paramount+'s Biggest Hits

When it comes to movie sequels, the general consensus has often been that after a point of roughly eight years trying to make one happen, the chances of it being worthwhile are dreadfully low. Given the first Top Gun wasn't as kindly received by critics as the audiences who helped it become the classic it's known as today, there was certainly a lot of skepticism about whether its follow-up could meet the expectations fans had for it.

Almost fueled by these doubts, Top Gun: Maverick memorably went on to defy the sequel gap to become both one of the rare ones that worked, but also established numerous records for those involved. To date, the movie is still the highest-grossing film of all-time for both Powell and Cruise, having brought in over $1.5 billion worldwide. It's also, per Rotten Tomatoes, Cruise's second-best-reviewed movie with a 96% "Certified Fresh" rating, coming in just behind Mission: Impossible — Fallout's 98% score, and Powell's best-reviewed just ahead of Hit Man's 95%.

Despite it being four years since the film first hit theaters, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that Top Gun: Maverick has crossed the rare streaming milestone of being in Paramount+'s Top 10 for two years straight. Its flagship studio has certainly had a fair number of hits since, but none nearly as high, nor as driven by a powerful wave of nostalgia, as that of Cruise's film. Additionally, the star himself continues to be a draw on the streamer itself, with his Jack Reacher movies often finding their way back to the Top 10.

Powell Has Another Film That Could Match His Top Gun: Maverick Success

The years since Top Gun: Maverick have certainly given Glen Powell a few other impressive feathers in his hat, particularly Anyone but You and his acclaimed turn in Hulu's Chad Powers, which he co-created, but none that have soared as high as the 2022 action-thriller. However, while he may not have been its main star, one film that could very well follow in its path is that of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, given the first film is already nearing the two-year-straight mark on Fandango At Home, and its 2026 sequel has been at the top of Peacock's charts for nearly a month so far.

Release Date May 27, 2022

Runtime 131 minutes

Director Joseph Kosinski

Writers Christopher McQuarrie, Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Peter Craig, Justin Marks

Producers Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison, Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise

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  Capt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell

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