Top Gun buzzes the Las Vegas Strip with new fan destination
Paramount and Advent Allen Entertainment are developing Top Gun Vegas on a 2.48-acre site near Harry Reid International Airport.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
Top Gun is getting ready to taxi onto the Las Vegas Strip.
Paramount and Advent Allen Entertainment said Tuesday they are developing a new Top Gun-themed entertainment destination on a 2.48-acre site at 4815 Las Vegas Blvd., close to Harry Reid International Airport and the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign.
The location puts the project near one of the city’s most photographed tourist stops, as well as major sports construction. According to the companies, the site is near the future stadium for the Athletics, the Major League Baseball team moving to Las Vegas, and an NBA arena also being built in the area.
The project, called Top Gun Vegas, is being pitched by the companies as a “next-generation entertainment destination” tied to the film franchise’s themes of aviation, competition and teamwork.
Visitors will be able to go to the Hard Deck, the restaurant and bar featured in Top Gun: Maverick, according to the announcement. The destination is also set to include other food, shopping and fan experiences built around the world of the movies.
A franchise with serious lift
The Top Gun brand has been flying high for decades. The 1986 original helped make Tom Cruise a major box office force and earned nearly $364 million worldwide, according to figures cited in the announcement.
Its 2022 sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, turned into one of the defining theatrical hits after the Covid downturn. The film brought in $1.49 billion globally and received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Paramount confirmed last spring that a third Top Gun film is in development. According to the studio, a script is being written, Cruise is expected to return as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, and Jerry Bruckheimer is again producing.
The Las Vegas project is part of a wider push by entertainment companies to turn film and television brands into real-world attractions, giving fans places to eat, shop and step inside familiar settings beyond the screen.
Paramount calls it a milestone
Josh Silverman, Paramount’s president of global products and experiences, said the company is “proud” of the progress on Top Gun Vegas.
“The Top Gun films have captivated audiences around the world for nearly four decades, and the Advent Allen Entertainment team has found a location in Las Vegas that exemplifies the spirit of the franchise,” Silverman said in the announcement.
Silverman said the attraction is intended to give fans a new way to experience Top Gun while celebrating the films’ “excitement, adventure, and enduring spirit.”
Mark Advent, founder of Advent Allen Entertainment, said the Strip site is “exactly where Top Gun belongs.” He said the project brings together aviation, the franchise and Las Vegas in one place.
The companies did not announce an opening date in Tuesday’s announcement.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.