Why Charlie Sheen’s Top Gun Ripoff Failed (Despite The Navy’s Backing)

While Top Gun inadvertently improved the Navy’s recruitment rates, the institution’s attempt to cash in on this trend with a Charlie Sheen vehicle failed disastrously. Upon its release in 1986, Top Gun was a much bigger hit than anticipated. The movie launched its star, Tom Cruise, into the A-list, made Tony Scott a majorly in-demand action director, and resulted in Navy recruitment rates significantly increasing for a few years after its release. However, as evidenced by Top Gun: Maverick taking 36 years to complete, this success was not easily replicated. Long before Paramount released its first sequel, the movie’s inimitable status was proven repeatedly by the many rip-offs that followed in Top Gun’s wake.