This Top Gun Rip-Off Is A Huge Flop - But It's Flying High On Netflix

"Top Gun" remains an all-time '80s favorite for many, and "Top Gun: Maverick" kept the good times rolling decades later. There may be things in the Top Gun movies that don't make sense, but who needs logic when you have Tom Cruise showing off his piloting skills? However, people won't turn out for every single fighter jet movie, especially if the Hollywood icon isn't involved. This may be why 2024's "Fighter" didn't do too hot at the box office — but it's getting some extra attention now on Netflix.

"Fighter" has remained in Netflix's Top 10 non-English movies for two consecutive weeks, getting over 17 million hours of watch time in its sophomore week. Overall, the Indian film fell well short of the box office-breaking performance of "Top Gun: Maverick," only grossing roughly $43 million worldwide. Granted, its budget was estimated to be around $30 million, but one must also consider critical reception. 

"Fighter" holds a paltry 35% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with Vinay Lokesh of The Times of India writing, "The audience has surely come across a number of films based on such storylines that are far more gripping than this one." It may not soar to the same heights as "Top Gun: Maverick," but more "Fighter" movies may still be in store. 

There were high expectations for "Fighter" before it came out in theaters. In 2021, Viacom18 Studios, which helped bring the film to fruition, posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Get ready to witness India's first aerial action franchise #Fighter with [Hrithik Roshan] and [Deepika Padukone]." Even after taking in $43 million at the box office, the plan still seems to involve pushing forward with a prospective "Fighter 2." The outlet Pinkvilla reported that director Siddharth Anand will work on the sequel after wrapping up another movie he has in the pipeline. 

Earlier this year, Anand defended the flick against accusations of being a carbon copy of "Top Gun." The filmmaker spoke with zoom about such comparisons: "I think it's inevitable ... If you make a film on planes, they will call it 'Top Gun' because they have no reference point." On a basic level, both movies are about fighter pilots, but the (ultimately fictional) story of "Fighter" is inspired by real events, including a series of cross-border airstrikes between India and Pakistan in 2019.

"Top Gun 3" is in the works, with Tom Cruise and other stars returning, but if people can't wait until that comes out, they might be able to satiate their craving for aerial action with "Fighter." The question now is whether "Top Gun 3" or "Fighter 2" premieres first.