Top Gun (1986): How a $15 Million Movie Turned Tom Cruise Into a Fighter Pilot God
In the summer of 1986, a movie didn’t just top the box office — it redefined what cool looked like for an entire generation. Top Gun gave Gen X its fighter pilot fantasy: leather jacket, Ray-Ban Aviators, a Navy F-14 Tomcat roaring off a carrier deck, and Kenny Loggins screaming about the danger zone. It…