Not to mention they retroactively labeled Top Gun: Maverick a 'surefire hit' even though most (soft) reboots, remakes and movies that relied on nostalgia fell flat on their face over the years (TRON Legacy (by the same director even), Blade Runner 2049, Jason Bourne, Ad Astra, Solo, Hellboy, The Mummy(with Tom Cruise even), Terminator: Dark Fate, The Last Duel, Ghostbusters, The Matrix 4 etc.) and it was anything but certain Top Gun: Maverick would resonate with 'modern audiences' who were pretty much only interested in comic book movies. Top Gun's performance was up in the air prior to its release with an expected big opening and a quick drop off. No one expected it would be the biggest movie of 2022.
Old IP's and nostalgia were such a big gamble that part 2 of Villeneuve's DUNE wasn't even greenlit until after it was a success.