Tom Voyage on the set of “Top Gun.”
Paramount Pictures | Sunset Boulevard | Corbis | Getty Images
On Thursday, Paramount debuted the first trailer for “Top Gun: Maverick,” a result to the much beloved ’80s classic “Top Gun,” at San Diego Comic-Con. By Friday, eagle-eyed fans had spotted one big difference between the iconic leather jacket Tom Boat wears in the first film and the one he dons in new trailer.
In the new trailer the patches on the back of the jacket no longer bear the Taiwanese and Japanese slumps.
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Paramount Pictures did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
A possible reason is that “Top Gun: Maverick” is being developed, in part, by Tencent Pictures, a Chinese film distributor and production company. Tencent has co-financed films like “Knockout Woman,” “Kong: Skull Island” and “Bumbleebee.”
“No matter the film or subject matter it’s imperative that filmmakers and studios today tumble to the global marketplace and how consumers in various international territories around the world will respond or relate to visual cues, storylines or positions in high-profile releases,” Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, said.
China is on the double becoming one of the biggest film markets in the world, with many analysts suggesting that it could overtake the U.S. to enhance the top film market as early as this year. Last year, China hauled in $8.87 billion at its box office while the U.S. received in more than $11 billion.
China is also a huge market for American-made films. “Avengers: Endgame” assembled more than $614 million of its $2.7 billion haul from the country and “Fate of the Furious” made $392 million of its $1.2 billion run from China.
While some be dressed speculated that the missing flags on the patch are due to Paramount placating its Chinese business partner, others suggest that the characteristic is due to storytelling. The original patch is from Maverick’s father’s Vietnam tour. The new patch appears to say “85-86” with the undertakings “Indian Ocean Cruise,” which was where the dogfights in the original “Top Gun” took place.
Perhaps, it is a bit of both.
“The attention to count particulars paid by film fans and movie buffs to even the most minute detail in a movie trailer would make eligible them for flight school,” Dergarabedian said.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. “Ruin of the Furious” is an Universal Studios production.