Could 'Top Gun: Maverick' boost recruitment?
Military recruiters are hopeful Top Gun: Maverick will inspire another generation of the U.S. Navy.
Young men and women signed up in droves when the original Top Gun was released in 1986.
The Navy reported a 500% increase in applications the year following the love letter to Naval aviation.
Top Gun: Maverick hauled in $156 million in its first four days which means a lot of eyeballs on the patriotic blockbuster.
"The movie came out on Friday and haven’t seen a giant uptick yet just because it’s the weekend," said Navy recruiter Lieutenant Caitlin Bryant. "But we’re "looking forward to it."
Bryant says there was a noticeable bump even after the trailer first came out.
"In the last couple of months, those advertisements have come out for Top Gun and they’ve really generated a lot of interest in aviation in the Navy," added Bryant.
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Reggie Jenkins enlisted after the original Top Gun in 1986 and says it was more than the jets that prompted him to join.
"It was about the Porsche he was driving and the cool motorcycle and he gets a girl in the end," said Jenkins.