Tom Cruise honoured by an award. File

Hollywood actor Tom Cruise’s highly-anticipated movie "Top Gun: Maverick" would be delayed from June 24 to December 23.

"Top Gun: Maverick" is the latest movie to be shelved amid the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The sequel's star and producer, Tom Cruise, who plays Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, reacted to the news on social media.

"I know many of you have waited 34 years. Unfortunately, it will be a little longer. Top Gun: Maverick will fly this December. Stay safe, everyone," he wrote.

Released in 1986, "Top Gun" was apparently inspired by a magazine article on Navy pilots. The film followed the life of a fighter pilot and launched Cruise's career as a global action star. The sequel picks up decades after the 1986 box-office hit. It also features Miles Teller as the son of Goose, Maverick's partner who died in the original film.

The coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the entertainment industry as many other movies have been rescheduled.

As part of the release shake-up, Paramount has also moved "A Quiet Place Part II" to September 4, 2020. "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run", an animated adventure based on the absorbent underwater fry cook, was originally slated to hit theaters on May 22 and will now bow July 31, 2020. Meanwhile, sci-fi fantasy film "The Tomorrow War", previously scheduled for December 25, 2020, is now undated.