The latest leap in virtual-reality movie technology will debut next week, powered by Navy fighter jets from the 1980s.
Bigscreen will partner with Paramount Pictures to show the 3-D version of “Top Gun” on Dec. 28 via its virtual movie theater, allowing goggle-wearing patrons to see the film as if they were seated in their nearby octoplex. Fans of Iceman, Maverick and Goose will be able to interact in a VR theater lobby before claiming their seat at one of 14 shows Dec. 29 and 30.
The screening is free throughout the U.S., but anyone wishing to check out the 1986 Tom Cruise classic (soon to have a sequel) must get their gear in order:
- It will only stream via Windows 10.
- Users must have a compatible VR headset. Click here for a list of supported gear.
- It requires the Bigscreen app, which can be downloaded from multiple VR app stores.
A 3-D version of Top Gun was released in IMAX theaters in 2013, the same year it was released for home viewing as part of a Blu-ray combo pack. Also that year, producer Jerry Bruckheimer discussed plans for a sequel; six years later, and more than 30 years after the original film’s debut, “Top Gun: Maverick” is reportedly set for a June 19, 2019, release.
No future VR screenings have been announced, but Bigscreen said plans call for “a regular, weekly content schedule in 2018 with both paid and free screenings of movies, TV shows, and video content.
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
