Considering that the film was about the “Top Gun” program, it was obvious that a lot of the filming would take place inside fighter jets. Although this would be obvious to assume, it was one of the biggest complaints received from Paramount’s producers.
The producers were told by Paramount Studios that there was “Too much flying” in the film. The studios demanded some more time on the ground and a love scene was filmed in delay. Leave it to Hollywood to demand that a movie about fighter jets has too much flying.
$10,000 an Hour
The shots while on the aircraft came with quite the hefty price tag to film. While aboard the USS Enterprise, there were several different types of aircraft including F-14 squadrons, VF-114 Aardvarks, and VF-213 Black Lions. However, all of these planes didn't come cheaply. Every hour of flight time with an F-14 costs Paramount $10,000. But, this was only a small part of what it cost to make the film. All in all, the film cost $15 million to produce, which today is the equivalent of $32 million. Considering the film's eventual revenue, that's quite the budget and totally worth the $10,000 per hour of flight time.
Because of the big investments that Paramount needed to make for "Top Gun", the US Government was reportedly interested in helping to subsidize the production costs. “The Pentagon worked hand-in-hand with the filmmakers reportedly charging Paramount Pictures just $1.8 million for the use of its warplanes and aircraft carriers,” The Washington Post wrote.
Ally Sheedy Missed Out
Kelly McGillis wasn't the first to be chosen for the role of Charlie. Originally, the director sought out Ally Sheedy but she turned it down. She didn’t think that the film would do well at all. She even said in an interview “Who wants to see Tom Cruise flying around in an airplane?”
Obviously, she couldn't have been farther from the truth in her beliefs after seeing that the movie became a huge commercial success that immortalized the film’s characters and helped launch the careers of those involved in the project. After the film was released, Sheedy regretted her decision deeply and vowed to never again judge a role by herself.
Mixed Reviews
While "Top Gun" was a huge success and is now considered to be a classic film, this wasn't always the case. After it was first released, it got mixed reviews from both critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film only has a 54% although the audience gave it 83%.
Critic Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars and said “Movies like "Top Gun" are hard to review because the good parts are so good and the bad parts are so relentless. The dogfights are the best since Clint Eastwood’s electrifying ariel scenes in "Firefox". But look out for the scenes where the people talk to one another.”
The Audience the Movie Was Attempting to Attract
While Tony Scott was on break during the filming of the hangar scene, he was approached by a group of Navy officers. They told him that among many things that weren't consistent or true with being a pilot or in the military was the unrealistic collection of patches on the actors' flight suits.
Scott replied by saying, “We’re not making this movie for Navy fighter pilots, we’re making it for Kansas wheat farmers who don’t know the difference.” What a bold statement to make to actual Navy officers.