'Top Gun' Sequel Release Delayed To May Of 2022

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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – With theater operators still struggling to reel in audiences because of the spike in COVID-19 cases brought on by the highly contagious Delta variant, another few blockbuster releases have been delayed.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 26: An illuminated advertisement for the upcoming "Top Gun: Maverick" movie is displayed at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, on August 26, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)

Paramount Pictures announced Thursday it is postponing the release of "Top Gun: Maverick" from Nov. 19 to May 27, 2022.

That was the same date that another Tom Cruise tentpole, "Mission: Impossible 7," was slated to be released. Instead, the "Mission: Impossible 7" release has been pushed back to Sept. 30, 2022.

This is the latest in a slew of film release delays since the pandemic started in March of 2020. The crisis has prompted some studios to release their films concurrently in theaters and on streaming services.

After being shuttered for several months, theaters in Los Angeles County began to reopen in March.

Paramount Pictures is a unit of ViacomCBS.