Photo: Courtesy of Netflix This Memorial Day weekend, two major franchises connected to the year 1986 aim to capture the attention of long-weekending Americans. One is Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to 1986’s Top Gun that its star, Tom Cruise, recently said he would have never allowed to open anywhere other than theaters.
In the half-decade since, some franchises — most notably the Disney-owned Marvel and Star Wars — have dealt with those “problems” by leaning harder into the television experience, making it practically a requirement for fans to watch the series dropping on Disney+ in order to keep up with the movies opening in theaters. To that point, on the same day Stranger Things 4 and Top Gun: Maverick arrive, the new Star Wars series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, debuts on Disney+.
In a move that also projects summertime BDE , Netflix has planted two flags by rolling out each volume on a major holiday weekend, suggesting the new season is as much of an event as any movie at your local multiplex, maybe even more of one. Stranger Things 4 isn’t aiming to be a tentpole — it’s trying to be two poles and the whole damn tent. In 1980, The Empire Strikes Back was the No. 1 movie in America for seven consecutive weeks. In 1982, E.T. was No.