Neil deGrasse Tyson debunked the plausibility of a moment in Top Gun: Maverick and fans are not responding well.
The astrophysicist wrote on Twitter that Tom Cruise's Maverick wouldn't have actually been able to survive being ejected from the plane, because he was going 7,000 mph, a speed which would give him "400 million joules of kinetic energy." Tyson explained that this is "a situation that human physiology is not designed to survive." While the science is likely correct, fans are annoyed with Tyson for "ruining the fun."
This isn't the first time Tyson has been accused of being a buzzkill when it comes to movies. Recently, the scientist similarly pointed out what he perceived to be a big flaw in the Batman franchise: the Bat-Signal. "Just occurred to me," he tweeted. "The famous Bat-Signal that summons Batman’s crime-fighting skills works only on cloudy nights -- and never in the daytime. Seems to me, a bat emoji sent to Bruce Wayne’s smartphone or even an old fashioned beeper would improve on this." After that, Batman fans teased him, saying he "must be bored."
Maverick's Box Office Success
Despite any inaccuracies, Maverick boasted an impressive, record-breaking theatrical run, with the film's box office earnings surpassing 2018's Avengers: Infinity War in August as the sixth-highest-earning domestic release of all time. Top Gun: Maverick has earned a domestic cume of $700 million since its theatrical release. Analysts have even predicted that the highly anticipated sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, won't be able to surpass Maverick's box office earnings.
Apart from its impressive domestic earnings at the box office, Maverick has earned a grand total of $1.47 billion worldwide. A sequel to the original 1986 film Top Gun, Maverick stars Tom Cruise as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell as he returns to the Navy's Top Gun program to train the next generation of pilots. The film hit streaming on Aug. 23 and quickly became the best-selling week-one digital release of all time in the United States.
It's unclear if there will be further follow-ups to Maverick, though Miles Teller, who starred in the sequel as Rooster, has previously stated that the possibility of a third film is on the table should Cruise agree to another film. "It's all up to Tom," he said. "I've been having some conversations with him about it. We'll see."
Top Gun: Maverick is currently available to rent on Prime Video.
Source: Twitter