Movies in the Park has announced Top Gun: Maverick as its final film of the summer, coming Thursday, August 24.

The film, which stars Tom Cruise, is a surprise departure from the event’s usual family-friendly fare, that includes today’s showing of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

\Top Gun: Maverick is the first movie shown to carry a PG-13 rating. “Many of the parents of our traditional movie guests grew up with Top Gun,” says Lauren Slocum, president of the Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce (CRICC), which organizes Movies in the Park. “It’s like bringing you back to your teenage years.”

Top Gun: Maverick, a 2022 sequel to 1986’s Top Gun, certainly found favor with audiences whose formative years were the ‘80s. It’s not just for nostalgic adults, however—the movie released to exceptionally high reviews from critics and audiences alike, making almost $1.5 billion at the box office.

Movies in the Park is a free event hosted by CRICC every summer since 2015. Each event features a different movie projected onto a 46-foot screen at Rocky Point, with an additional smaller screen showing closed captions for the deaf and hearing-impaired. Movies start at dusk, and from 5:30 until the movie starts, there’s entertainment from food trucks to vendors, as well as free offerings like face painting and balloon art. The movie nights have proven popular, with typical turnout hovering between one and two thousand.

According to Slocum, the decision to bring in Top Gun: Maverick came about due to “a number of requests” received by CRICC for teen- and adult-oriented movies. Slocum says Jaws, the classic shark flick, is requested every year due to Rocky Point’s location by the water, but acquiring a license to show it has been difficult. Top Gun: Maverick came into the conversation when it first released to remarkable word-of-mouth buzz, picking up steam as weather-related cancellations led to openings in the schedule for summer 2023. Audiences polled at July’s showing of Lightyear demonstrated high interest, and the plans were finalized following conversations with the food trucks and sponsors that appear at each event. Top Gun was on. “We just thought it would be a great way to finish off the season,” said Slocum.

Audiences waiting patiently for Tom Cruise can catch Puss in Boots: The Last Wish this Thursday, August 3. Meanwhile, Minions: The Rise of Gru is set to be rescheduled after the intended showing in July was rained out, and a Halloween-themed event is planned for October, with the film playing to be announced.