#2: Top Gun Maverick—The Strategy Behind Its Billion-Dollar Success

Summary

Why That Worked – Episode #2: Top Gun Maverick—The Strategy Behind Its Billion-Dollar Success

Presented by StoryBrand.ai
Release Date: January 13, 2025

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Introduction

In the second episode of Why That Worked presented by StoryBrand.ai, hosts Donald Miller and Kyle Reed delve into the phenomenal success of the blockbuster film Top Gun Maverick. They explore the multifaceted strategies that propelled the movie to gross over $1.4 billion globally and nearly $800 million domestically. Through an engaging dialogue, the duo dissects the elements that made the sequel not just a nostalgic triumph but also a masterclass in strategic filmmaking and marketing.

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Unpacking the Box Office Phenomenon

Kyle Reed kicks off the conversation by sharing his personal experience watching Top Gun Maverick with friends, highlighting the communal and memorable aspects of viewing the film:

"[...] Nobody listening to this has had a better experience watching that movie than I." [01:18]

They then shift focus to the impressive financial metrics:

"The earnings on this movie... it made $1.4 billion globally." [01:59]

This success is particularly noteworthy given the challenging post-COVID environment, where theater attendance was waning. Kyle points out that Top Gun Maverick emerged at a time when audiences were hesitant to return to theaters, making its triumph even more remarkable.

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Tom Cruise: The Strategic Superstar

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around Tom Cruise's career trajectory and his deliberate choices that prioritize maintaining his status as a global superstar over pursuing critical acclaim. Kyle outlines Cruise's filmography to illustrate this strategy:

"Tom Cruise's strategic choice of roles... Jerry Maguire, Mission Impossible series, Top Gun Maverick, etc." [04:02]

Kyle emphasizes Cruise's commitment to blockbuster franchises and roles that resonate with wide audiences, contributing substantially to his enduring popularity. This approach contrasts with seeking roles that garner Academy Awards, underscoring Cruise's focus on mass appeal and box office success.

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Maintaining Persona and Image Control

The hosts explore how Cruise meticulously crafts and maintains his on-screen persona, blurring the lines between character and self. Kyle shares observations on Cruise’s dedication:

"He's obsessive about the role, how he appears. He is all in." [07:02]

This relentless embodiment of his characters—evident in his insistence on performing his own stunts—enhances the authenticity and appeal of his films. The discussion touches upon Cruise’s ability to control his public image, especially in the face of past controversies, reinforcing his status as a beloved action star.

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Harnessing the Power of Formulaic Storytelling

Donald Miller introduces the concept of using established storytelling frameworks to ensure narrative success. He references Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" beat sheet, a foundational blueprint in Hollywood screenwriting:

"The beat sheet includes steps like opening image, theme stated, setup, catalyst, debate, break into Act 2, etc." [16:00]

Kyle concurs, highlighting that Top Gun Maverick adheres closely to this formula:

"Toy Story 2 and Top Gun Maverick use every fricking beat and pretty much don't add anything else." [17:27]

By following these tried-and-true narrative structures, the film guarantees a satisfying and familiar storyline that resonates with audiences, contributing to its widespread acclaim and financial success.

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The Emotional Leverage of Nostalgia

A pivotal element in the movie’s success is its strategic use of nostalgia. Kyle elaborates on how the film taps into collective memories and sentiments:

"Nostalgia, absolutely. We had multi generations participating in conversation around it." [19:18]

They discuss the psychological underpinnings of nostalgia, explaining how selective memory and positive recollections of the past make audiences more receptive to reboots and sequels of beloved classics. This emotional connection not only drives ticket sales but also fosters a communal viewing experience that enhances the movie's cultural impact.

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Innovative Marketing and Attention-Grabbing Tactics

The conversation transitions to the marketing strategies that amplified Top Gun Maverick's reach. Kyle attributes a significant portion of the film’s success to Cruise's ability to generate buzz through unconventional methods:

"They knew the rules and they knew how to work in the environment... they added the rules in to lead to their success." [28:30]

By refusing to release the film on streaming platforms—a move that diverged from industry trends—the team behind Top Gun Maverick positioned the movie as a must-see theatrical event. This decision capitalized on the post-pandemic resurgence of theater attendance, making the film a centerpiece of social outings and communal experiences.

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Quality and Humility as Success Drivers

Despite the film’s formulaic approach, Kyle and Donald argue that Top Gun Maverick's success is not solely due to its adherence to established storytelling techniques. The hosts stress that quality execution is paramount:

"The movie was so incredibly formulaic speaks to the humility of Tom Cruise." [23:38]

They contrast this with unsuccessful sequels and projects, emphasizing that even with nostalgia and formulaic elements, the actual quality of the film must meet audience expectations to achieve monumental success. Kyle cites Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis as an example of how a star's influence cannot salvage a poorly executed project.

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Cultural and Societal Resonance

The discussion also touches on how Top Gun Maverick aligns with contemporary cultural sentiments. Kyle connects the film’s portrayal of American pride and military prowess with current societal dynamics:

"They leaned into the pride of the military of the United States." [24:04]

By resonating with themes of national pride and strength, the movie not only appeals to patriotic sentiments but also taps into a universal admiration for heroism and teamwork. This alignment with cultural values further cements the film's broad appeal and enduring legacy.

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Conclusion: The Interplay of Strategy and Stardom

In wrapping up, Kyle Reed encapsulates the essence of Top Gun Maverick's success by highlighting the interplay between strategic filmmaking and Tom Cruise's star power:

"There's a person. There’s a man. That is the main reason this thing is going to succeed." [28:21]

The episode concludes with the affirmation that Top Gun Maverick is a testament to how combining proven storytelling formulas, strategic marketing, cultural resonance, and the unwavering dedication of a star like Tom Cruise can culminate in a cinematic blockbuster that stands the test of time.

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Notable Quotes

• Kyle Reed on personal experience:

  "Nobody listening to this has had a better experience watching that movie than I." [01:18]

• Kyle Reed on the movie's financial success:

  "The earnings on this movie... it made $1.4 billion globally." [01:59]

• Kyle Reed on Tom Cruise’s career strategy:

  "Tom Cruise decided he wanted to be and stay a global superstar. He did not want critical acclaim." [06:06]

• Kyle Reed on Cruise's persona:

  "He's obsessive about the role, how he appears. He is all in." [07:02]

• Donald Miller on Blake Snyder's influence:

  "Blake Snyder's Save the Cat is the formula for how to write a movie." [16:00]

• Kyle Reed on nostalgia’s impact:

  "Nostalgia, absolutely. We had multi generations participating in conversation around it." [19:18]

• Kyle Reed on marketing strategy:

  "They knew the rules and they knew how to work in the environment." [28:30]

• Kyle Reed on the importance of the star:

  "Show me the person. And Tom Cruise is the person." [28:21]

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Final Thoughts

Why That Worked offers a comprehensive analysis of Top Gun Maverick's success, blending personal anecdotes, strategic insights, and industry knowledge. By examining the synergy between timeless storytelling, strategic marketing, and the magnetic presence of Tom Cruise, the hosts provide listeners with valuable lessons on creating enduring success in the competitive world of entertainment.

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Thank you for tuning into Why That Worked presented by StoryBrand.ai. Stay tuned for more in-depth analyses of the strategies behind the world's biggest successes.

Transcript

[Kyle Reed]

Foreign.

[Donald Miller]

You're listening to the why that Work podcast presented by StoryBrand AI. If you've ever wondered why certain brands, trends, or cultural phenomena find success while others don't, you're in the right place. Every week, we unpack why something worked, then give you actionable insights that you can use in your own life. Now let's dive in with your hosts, Donald Miller and Kyle Reed.

[Kyle Reed]

All right, I. I gotta get something out of the way. It's not right that you showed up in a le.

I knew you were gonna say that.

To talk about Top Gun, you could.

It's a leather motorcycle jacket. For those who are not watching us on YouTube.

You needed to tell me that. Cause I would have done something about that.

Here's the reality. I bought this jacket. First of all, I've wanted this jacket for over a year.

Yeah, I do, too.

But because we are filming an episode on Top Gun, it gave me the chance to write it off. So that's why I'm wearing this jacket.

Well, we're not here to talk about clothes, though. I know you want to.

I would rather we should talk about why clothes work.

Why they work.

A whole episode on why why people wear human beings as a species is the only species that wears clothing. I've got serious thoughts on that. I'm actually not kidding. We're gonna do an episode on clothes.

We'll come back to that. But today we're talking about unrelated Top Gun. Maverick.

Great movie.

Why did it work?

Well, okay, I gotta say this. I saw it in the theater and I loved it. And my fishing buddies, we call ourselves the Lions. Cause we're dorky. We all go to the Indianapolis 500 that night, we get back to the Airbnb, and Top Gun is playing at the local beer and pizza theater. And we just go and we take up the whole front row. Best movie experience of my life with my boys watching Top Gun after the Indianapolis five. Nobody listening to this has had a better experience watching that movie than I.

Did the opening scene where he's. But it worked because the movies. Awesome.

It worked.

But also.

What are the stats?

Numbers are crazy. Okay, So I was looking this up, the earnings on this movie. It made $1.4 billion globally.

That's what it cost 10 years ago to build at and T Stadium.

And this movie. Yeah, and this movie made that. It. It worked domestically. It made almost $800 million just in the US alone.

In a time when everybody was afraid to go to theaters.

Yeah, it came out in 20 post. Right on the year after Covid.

Yeah, it was right when people might have been circling back into theaters.

Yep. May 6th or May 27th, 2022. So the original came out May 17th, May 16th, 1986.

How old were you?

I wasn't born yet.

I was. I think I must have been. I graduated high school in 1989 and I was 17 when I graduated. And 17, 16, 15, 14. So I was 14 years old. 14 or 15 years old.

Did you see it in theaters? Do you remember?

That is so hard to remember. Almost certainly I did because there wasn't any other way to see it. It wasn't on tv, There was no vhs. I don't think back then maybe there was. I've got some notes on why. The several reasons I think it succeeded. And some of it bleeds into the verse one. Yeah, that was a top five movie of my sort of childhood. Would have been Top Gun.

Yeah. And I mean, so statistically it worked. Yeah, but why else did it work, you think?

I think a couple things. One is like Tom Cruise's strategic choice of roles. Okay. Look back over his films. Risky Business is his breakout. Probably the first film he did. Right. 1983. I can't think of anything before that. The Color of Money, Rain man, born on the 4th of July, nominated for Academy Award. Jerry Maguire, A little bit more poppy. Right. Magnolia, one of the greatest movies ever made by Paul Thomas Anderson.

And I've never seen it.

You know, it's okay if this podcast episode goes like seven hours. Yeah, I'm watching that movie. This was back in the age when I weighed, you know, 350 pounds and I numbed out with candy and movies. And it shaped my brain in order to tell stories not worth, by the way, the art condition you might end up with. And I'm sitting there, I'm two and a half hours into Magnolia and I have no idea where this movie is going. And I'm about to walk out and something happens in, you know, it's the deus ex machina moment. Late, probably middle of Act 3. Act 3 is typically very short. Something happened that I'm not going to tell you about that made everything in the previous two and a half hours feel absolutely revolutionary and brilliant. But God enters the machine in an otherwise completely non supernatural film. And all of a sudden everything is tied together. And I literally sat there thinking, this is probably one of the greatest masterpieces of film that's ever been created.

I've got my homework.

Anyway, he does that.

I'm gonna go watch that.

He does Eyes Wide Shut I remember that. And then he pretty much never does a movie that would get him an Academy Award ever again. What he does is Mission Impossible in 96, Mission Impossible 2 in 2000, the Day After Tomorrow, fantastic movie. 2004, Mission Impossible 3, 2006, Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol 2011, Jack Reacher. He does two of those in 2012 and some other date. Mission Impossible, Rogue Nation, Jack Reacher, never go back. 2016 Mission Impossible, Fallout 2018 Top Gun Maverick, Blockbuster. Mission Impossible, Dead Reckoning Part 1. The best one ever, by the way. The first part of a two part series. Mission Impossible, the Final Reckoning. None of those. None of those. He knew going into it would get him any sort of Academy Award, but he changed his strategy. And I think one of the reasons this film succeeded, you have to go back to the underpinning of the guy who made it happen, which is Tom Cruise. He decided he wanted to be and stay a global superstar. He did not want critical acclaim.

So he. Yeah, that's interesting.

And so in other words, Top Gun Maverick was a strategic next film to make as a step in maintaining his global superstar. I think that for me, that is one of the reasons that you have to go back and say regardless of the film, we can get into the structure of the film and the formula of the film and all that kind of stuff. It's the dude who decided to make the film and what was going on in his strategic career and the way he was, he was building his career. That I think is part of it.

What's interesting about Tom Cruise is, you know, you see your favorite actors in movies and they're playing a role and then you see them outside of that role and you go, oh, that's not the same person. Yeah, Tom Cruise is one of the few people who I go, that is who he is. Now this is.

I'm very curious about this. Do you believe that or do you believe when the camera stops? He doesn't. He's still playing a role for public.

I think he's obsessive about the role, how he appears. He is all in. He does all his own stunts. He embodies this character. And when I think about Mission Impossible, Top Gun, Jack Reacher, it's kind of the same character.

Does he want us to think he's that guy or do you think he's that guy?

Well, I mean, we could get into that even more. I don't.

You think he's become that guy?

Because I think he's. I don't think he knows who he is, but that's a Whole. I hope he doesn't hear this, but.

I kind of agree.

But.

But I think he knows who he is. But I think he's. He's embraced the idea that quote, unquote, perception is reality.

Yeah.

As it relates to me interacting with the public.

And what was interesting about this was at a time when this movie came out in 2022, everybody was going to streaming because everybody was at home. So all the movie theaters are going, okay, what, what do we do? No one's going to go to a movie theater because of COVID So how do we get all these blockbusters that we're trying to make money off? We got to, we got to put these on streaming services.

Yeah.

And Tom Cruise refused to do that because Tom Cruise.

Which got him a lot of attention.

Yeah, exactly. And so he held to that.

He said, would you say that's an accidental differentiator that sort of made him stand out and drove a little more attention?

I think it was brilliant. He held to. But I don't think, you know, you think about. We've talked about this off. Off camera. There are certain people who can get away with that and Tom Cruise is one who can. But if, if a. Let's say Ryan Reynolds tried to do that killer did with Deadpool or something like that. Right. I don't think it would have worked as well.

Well, it's also just not him.

Yeah, it's.

What we love about Ryan Reynolds is he's such a badass on screen and such a normal guy who would be your friend. Okay, here's what I'm talking about regarding Tom Cruise. I saw this thing on Instagram or YouTube or whatever where, you know, Tom Cruise is famous for doing his own stunts. So he rides a motorcycle up a ramp and off a 10,000 foot cliff. Obviously not 10,000, like 2,000 foot cliff. Motorcycle's destroyed, parachute opens up, Tom Cruise lands. Of course we, you know, we don't see this in the movie. This is just a film. He turns around, he pulls a walkie talkie out and he says, do you want me to do it again? I think I can open my arms a little wider. And he's walking toward the camera as he does this. I'm like, the dude is filming a movie about the stunt that he does in a movie.

He's still acting. He's still in it.

Yep, he's still acting.

Yeah, he's playing a character.

And I. Yeah, exactly. And I think that's. You remember the Olympics? Remember the Olympics in Paris at the end, did you see the closing ceremonies, where he, like, comes down in a cable. What is that called? What is that called? It's called rappelling. Oh, he rappels from the top of the stadium. He's playing that character the whole freaking time. You know, and, you know, it's.

I'll go down this path here. So last night. Last night, my wife and I took our kids to this movie premiere. And I'm not gonna say what it is because.

So bad.

No, no, it wasn't bad. But I don't. I don't want these people to hear this. We go to this movie premiere and there is a certain person we know, and they are playing a character. And they are. The character they're playing is true on screen and off screen, but it is a complete. It's fake. And the character they're playing, they've been playing it for 20 years, and that's their differentiator. And one of the things on the way home was I asked my wife, I said, do you.

You gotta say more. Are they playing like a cartoon character or are they just like a charismatic version of themselves?

They're playing a character of where they came from. If I give too much away.

Got it.

You'll know what it is.

Okay, got it.

They're playing a character, and I go, so they're.

That they're the billionaire who came from nothing, who's still pretending to be the person who came from nothing.

Yes. And so you got it. But it gets to the point where you go, are they still playing the character? Or has it become them so much that they don't even know that they're playing a character anymore, that they've taken the Persona? So Tom Cruise. I wonder that about Tom Cruise's sense of, like, when did that start? When did he figure that out? And when did he just. It just embodies entire life.

A lot of great leaders. Do they. A lot of. Well, a lot of leaders that we remember and consider great. You know, Franklin Roosevelt, right. Pretended he wasn't in a wheelchair. He would, like, have his sons or whoever kind of walk him up to the podium and he would orchestrate. Right. But he didn't want to look weak. He didn't think people would elect a guy who's in a wheelchair. And of course, this is pre all television. But we're getting to why Tom Cruise succeeded with this movie. That it's part him.

Yeah.

There's a dude that's making it succeed.

Take it a level deeper. This happens in our culture with politics, with celebrities, with music. Do we, as Americans, we'll talk America. Do we need that person to embody that character, to like them?

We like it.

We do.

We like it.

We do.

I've always said, I don't know that Taylor Swift would be as popular if she were singing about, like, how frustrating it is that she can't write off her private jet. Yeah. That woman is a CEO of a multibillion dollar corporation, and that is not what she's singing about. No, she's singing about that girl talked bad about me and I don't like you, and I'm letting the world know, you know, she's singing about the stuff that, like, her fans actually deal with.

Yeah.

I'm sure that, like, she is ticked that somebody talked bad about it. She's putting out well, but she's emphasizing the parts that we have in common.

Yes. There's gotta be some kind of connection point.

And the aspirational identity of a woman who will stand up to that dude who broke her heart. And now, you know, it's empowering these women. There's a lot there.

And it makes you wonder, like, some of the success of this movie is like, we like that. We like that there's a guy out there who would. Would perform a stunt and, like, be so focused on the stunt that he knows he's being recorded to make that. Like, we like that the whole thing.

Is kind of orchestrated.

It could be a little. Because so we.

We are willing to suspend disbelief. We are going along with you.

Totally. We're bought in. And that actually, it works great for theaters. Right. Because you're in there, he's an actor, it brings you in, you're all in, and you go, that's a little cheesy.

Did you get into the fact that he was probably extra. An already intense and competitive person is extra motivated because he'd made some serious social faux pas in the decade before this movie came out. I didn't that far married Katie Holmes. Marriage didn't work. Made a. Acted a fool. As my mother used to say, stop acting a fool on Oprah. Remember jumping on the couch? Scientology. He's taken a massive hit. He's taken a lot of fricking hits that would kill a career. And I think a lot of the stuff that we're talking about is him getting control of his image.

No, I got into a little bit of that. Not to that degree of him restoring his image, more of I got into him kind of taking on the Persona of, I'm gonna save Hollywood. Like, I'm gonna save movies.

Okay, that's another question though. Is that part of the Persona or is it like, did he mean it? I think he had to.

I think he did. I think he legitimately felt like, I'm gonna save this industry because I love it so much. And I think that's why.

And I want to be the freaking hero.

Yeah. And so I was talking to our producer, Bobby, and one of the things he brought up too, about this episode, I cheated a little bit and got, you know, some extra help.

I don't think that's cheating.

But one of the things, Bobby, he told me a story about, he said that at a party, someone overheard Spielberg telling Tom Cruise, like, you saved Hollywood with this movie. And I actually believe that because if.

You think about brought it back where we were at, although it's still struggling.

Like post, post Covid, like that time, like 20, 22 people were not going. I had not seen a movie from.

10 or dollars a year at the box office to less than 1.

Yeah, I mean, I.90% that movie was the first movie I went back to theaters to see because I wanted to see it on imax. And it. I went like by myself in the middle.

They can release that on IMAX tomorrow. And it would.

Oh, I would go. I would go see it again. 100%.

Yeah.

100%.

Okay, let's get into the actual movie.

Yeah.

And why do you think the movie succeeded?

It's the classic of the hero's journey. I mean, it's the.

It, it's the formula.

It follows everything. And here's the thing. As cheesy as we sit here and talk about that, we love it.

We love it.

I love it.

These formulas exist because they work. And so when we talk about formulas, if you've been around me long enough, you've probably heard me talk about Blake Snyder's book, Save the Cat. And Save the Cat is a book that is the most influential book in Hollywood. It's about a 20 year old book, I think. And probably every single person who writes a movie or group of people who writes a movie that gets produced has read and been largely influenced by that book. And that book is the formula for how to write a movie. Now you can actually tell how close somebody gets to the formula and whether or not they're taking sort of creative liberties. And some people can take creative liberties and it's really great. But the formula is basically there. And I would say I've never seen a movie except for Toy Story 2. That was more on point with Blake Snyder's it's called a beat sheet. And Toy Story 2 is one of the greatest movies ever, greatest screenplays ever created. And so these stories are all sort of like metaphors and myths around what Joseph Campbell would call the hero's journey or pathways to bliss. What Blake Snyder did was he actually said, okay, I'm not a philosopher, but let me tell you what to do. If you really want to write a great movie, the first thing that has to happen is this. And then the second thing that happens has to happen is this. And literally, if you go through the beat sheet for Blake Snyder's Save the Cat, which is the book, it is things like. Let me. It is things like opening image. Right. Theme stated. The setup, the catalyst, the debate, the break into Act 2. The B story is introduced. Then there's a scene of, like, fun and games. And then there's the midpoint, which is the midpoint climax. Then the bad guys close in. Then everything is lost. And then there's a dark night of the soul and a great reckoning. And that breaks into Act 3, in which you have the finale and the final image.

Yep.

Toy Story 2 and Top Gun Maverick use every fricking beat and pretty much don't add anything else.

And what's amazing is, as you're reading every beat point, you could picture it in your head. In my head, here comes Tom Cruise, you know, on the plane.

Opening image, Maverick works as a test pilot, pushing the limits of experiment. That's the opening. Now we know who that dude is. Then there's a theme stated. The importance of teamwork is the theme of the movie. And so if we don't come together as a team, it's not going to work. And so, of course, what has to happen, all this energy that tries to disrupt the team.

The drama of the team.

Yeah, exactly. And then there's the setup. We see Maverick's current life and his reluctance to advance in rank due to his rebellious nature. So there's all this antagonism working internally against the characters and against the team itself. And then the catalyst, which is the inciting incident where you throw the hero into the deep end. He's sent to Top Gun school to actually be an instructor, where he's got all this bad blood. Right.

And then the nostalgia back to Goose and his son. And just.

All right, so we agree on the fact that one of the reasons this thing made $1.3 billion is it is a formula that works.

Yes. Yep.

You just said a word, though, that I think is another reason.

Yeah.

Nostalgia.

Nostalgia, absolutely.

What's your take on that?

Yeah. It's interesting because there's a nostalgia point of, you know, again, we said, like, so I was born in 86, so I did not see the movie.

Right.

My dad didn't ever take me to see the movie or anything like that. But there was a nostalgia feature of, like, hearing the legend of Top Gun. So when I went back and actually watched it, because I wanted to watch the original Top Gun before I went and saw Maverick, I was like, this is not. This is. Okay. This is not, like, amazing. But I get it. I get it. I get why this is a great movie. Right? But there was some kind of nostalgia to the point of like, knowing this was a, like a legendary movie, you know, back in the 80s. Then the nostalgia of like, like Ghostbusters or something.

You know, you're Indiana Jones, you know, you're going back. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And then there was nostalgia of, like, my dad's generation seeing that. Right. And then kind of the bringing in this legendary. Of Tom Cruise. And so I think part of the reason why it worked was because you had multi generations participating in conversation around.

It, participating in conversations. And also you had the generation with the wallet taking their kids to A$30. Obvious that meant something to them a long time ago. Now, this is what's interesting. I actually did a little deep dive into just the psychology of nostalgia.

Oh, okay.

Because why does it work?

Yeah.

And I think there are several reasons. We view the past more favorably than the present because we actually delete all of the boring stuff and the negative stuff from our mind when we look back. The mind is an editor. And so when it actually looks back at a relationship or when it looks back at raising children, it doesn't think about the dirty diapers and the puking on you as you're trying to drive to church. Doesn't think about any of that stuff. It thinks about. It only remembers kind of the positive. And so this is why we get tricked into having more than one kid. We have the second and third, the fourth. It just works like that, which, by the way, is really, really beautiful. So we have selective of memory. Now, here's the real reason, though, and this wasn't in the research, but this is my proposal about nostalgia. And it ties right into Top Gun. When I watched Top Gun in theaters, and I had to have seen it in theaters, and I probably saw it multiple times, this would have been like one of the first blockbuster movies I'd ever seen. Right. So I'm 53 now. I've seen 100 of them. So there's a law of diminishing returns. So it wasn't just that the movie was good. It was that I had a childlike or young adult perspective watching a movie that was good. And so, you know, we've all had the experience where we go back and we watch an old movie that we really loved, and we're just like, huh, yeah.

Why did I love that?

Why did I love that? Well, it's because it's the first time, you know, if the first time you ever HEAR the Beatles versus the 93rd time you hear, you know, love me, do. You're just. There's a law of diminishing returns.

All right, so I've paused you.

Yes.

A couple things are coming to my brain.

Okay.

I'm thinking about you, the lions sitting on the front row.

Yeah.

Okay. So all of you, probably at some degree, this was, what, your first.

We're all the same age. We're right in there.

So you're, like, brought back to that.

Moment, bringing back our child.

Here's something that's interesting, I think. What if this Top Gun movie was terrible? The Maverick? What if Maverick was not shot well.

Which has been done. Which has been done with other sequels.

So to some degree, you can play off nostalgia. You can play off of character like a hero, Tom Cruise, embodying this guy. You can play off the Blake Snyder's, you know, formula. But if you don't deliver right on the actual product of making doesn't work killer movie.

You can make 500 million.

Yes.

You can't make 1.3 billion.

And we've seen movies like that where it's gotta be quality things. Right? So that's something that came up as you were talking about, like, nostalgia works. We see a lot of brands use nostalgia, but if it doesn't deliver, it doesn't work.

And I would actually say the fact that that movie was so incredibly formulaic speaks to the humility of Tom Cruise, because me and my buddy Thad went and saw Megalopolis. It's Francis Ford Coppola's latest film and supposedly his final masterpiece. This is the man who made the Godfather and the Godfather 2, which are two of the best movies that have ever been made. This movie was pure crap.

I was gonna say.

It doesn't sound. It was awful. It was absolutely.

Oh, is this the one you walked out of?

I was embarrassed for these actors who are brilliant. Right. And it was basically Francis Ford Coppola saying, I am so great that I don't need four years I don't need them.

So part of the reason why Maverick worked. If I'm here, what you're hearing is the humility.

He didn't trust himself. He trusted what works. Best practices. These are the best practices that we know. Make people want to eat more popcorn and wiggle in their seat.

Go see it multiple times, hope that guy wins.

And he just goes, I'm going to nail it.

All right. So one more I wanted to point out in my research of why this worked. If you remember the culture conversation at the time, people were very afraid to talk about America. Interesting. And the positivity of America. And I think the first Top Gun played off of this. Kind of like American Pride.

Yep.

But at the time.

And it was in an age. Listen. It was in an age. It was during the Cold War. There were a lot of nuclear weapons being pointed at each other. Mikhail Gorbachev was finally. We went through, like, alcoholic, die fast Russian leader after Russian leader. I can't even name them all. And then Gorbachev comes along, is willing to work with Reagan, and. And, you know, the media loves to play up bad guy versus good guy. And you had the Berlin Wall. That was. I mean, it was. You had an actual enemy.

Yes.

Or at least a perceived enemy. Gorbachev was not an enemy. He was actually very pro globalization. But.

And I think with Maverick, they leaned into kind of that pride of like.

They did, which goes back into nostalgia, because it's not cool anymore to actually say that any country is bad, which is a joke. Autocracies are bad friends. Xi Jinping is not a good guy. He's not your friend. You know what I'm saying? Go look at Venezuela.

Well, and I think that the beauty of the film was they leaned into the pride of the military of the United States. What is interesting is I don't even know who they were fighting. It was kind of faceless.

I think they kind of named them, didn't they?

That's what I mean. I don't even remember.

Everybody had something in their head.

I just remember had to fly up that bank and hit the perfect shot. Very Luke Skywalker esque, by the way. But you mentioned there was a point where.

Yeah. Like a sub point of what you're talking about. And it has to do with nostalgia. And it has to do with a nostalgia about an age in which, at least in perception, there were clear good guys and clear bad guys. And it's going to be very controversial what I'm about to say, but I believe it. There were gender roles. If you look at the masculinity of Top Gun 1 and Top Gun Maverick, right? There was a lot of controversial stuff. Sexism, toxic masculinity, military propaganda, glorification of war, outdated gender roles. You know, the way they handled grief is not the way any therapist would recommend handling grief. It was dudes being primitive dudes. And I think Top Gun Maverick brought specifically that piece of nostalgia back. And I think an American audience missed dudes being able to be dudes.

Yeah, no, he leaned into every stereotype you can think of.

Well, you got to know what he probably did was he had some sort of data where they were watching those movies and like the 10 things that people liked most had to appear. They even did like the karaoke, ish, whatever, sing of their singing in the bar. I remember as a kid watching that in junior high and like 17 years old sneaking into bars and we were singing whatever, that you lost that love and feeling. We did that 10 times in bars in Houston, Texas. Like a bunch of dorks. Like, imagine a 16 year old fat kid singing to a girl at a bar.

Did it work?

No, of course not. She's like 27. We couldn't even buy a beer and we're singing this song.

I saw it in a movie.

Sure.

This works.

Like, who the hell thinks we're fighter pilots?

That's so funny. So, okay, so give me like an Instagram moment. 60 second. Why, in your opinion, did Top Gun Maverick work?

If I had to say, there's one reason. It goes all the way back to Tom Cruise. You know, it's so true with almost anything that succeeds in life, period. There's a person. There's a person. And that person is obsessive. They are intense, they are competitive, they are strategic and they are action oriented. And without Tom Cruise, that movie doesn't exist. And it certainly doesn't make $1.3 billion. It's a dude. And I would say that with any. If I was private equity and we're going to invest in some company, I want to say, show me the person, show me the woman, show me the man. That is the main reason this thing is going to succeed. And if you can't show me that person, we are not betting on that, period. We're not betting on it because it's not going to work. Ideas don't win. People who spread and believe ideas win. So show me the person. And Tom Cruise is the person.

Yeah, love that. And I would say it worked because they knew the rules and they knew how to work in the environment. They were to attract attention.

Yes.

So they knew.

Well, we didn't even get any of that as a reason is the amount of attention about the movie that he was able to generate.

And that's, that's my favorite example. You know, I always, for me, I'm always focused on marketing and ideas around marketing. And that's some of my favorite ways people use marketing is a lot of people will go, you know, oh, let's, you know, let's get attention this way or let's, let's make this. Or, you know, so maybe we like draw attention by releasing the theaters, but like, they're doing it in a way that doesn't make sense to what they're releasing. I think what Top Gun Maverick reminds me of is they, they knew the rules. They then added the rules in to lead to their success. So they said, everybody's going to streaming. Well, this is the perfect movie for theaters and we're going to bet that people are going to show up. So they knew that this is what everybody's doing and we're going to go this way.

A lot of uniqueness, a lot of differentiators. You know, Hollywood actors have their own. Do, you know, have stuntmen. Not Tom Cruise.

Yeah, not Tom Cruise.

Right.

But it only works for certain people because I think there are other movies that could have been out there and go, well, let's. Tom Cruise, they did it. They went to theaters. Let's go to theaters too, and we'll, we'll get the same success and it doesn't work. So they knew that if we do these things, we can deliver on a amazing experience. We can deliver on nostalgia.

Yeah.

We have the right guy, to your point, driving the ship forward in Tom Cruise. He's going to do everything he can to make this successful. Yeah, that's why it worked.

[Donald Miller]

Thanks for listening to the why that Worked podcast presented by StoryBrand AI. If you like the show, follow wherever you get your podcasts. And if you're Enjoying this on YouTube, hit that subscribe button and leave a comment letting us know what you think and what you want the guys to talk about in a future episode. Curious about how StoryBrand AI can help you create clear, effective messaging? Well, you can try it out right now and create a free customized tagline for your business. Just go to storybrand AI. Thanks for listening and we'll see you next time.