"Top Gun: Maverick", "MI 7" Delayed Due to Coronavirus

Paramount delayed Wednesday the release date of Tom Cruise’s "Top Gun" and "Mission Impossible" sequels to 2022.

The studio pushed "Top Gun: Maverick" from its Thanksgiving weekend release date to May 27th, 2022, while "Mission: Impossible 7" was postponed from May 27, 2022, date to Sept. 30.

The delays are due to concerns over the delta variant continue to hold back theater attendance and make releasing tentpoles into cinemas a risky proposition for studios.

Paramount, like many studios, regularly consults epidemiologists on decisions such as this. The studio is hopeful the box office will recover in 2022 when these movies are now set to open.