After more than three decades, Tom Cruise is back in the cockpit as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell inTop Gun: Maverick. Cruise’s latest action flick has had the highest-grossing domestic debut of his career. The film currently plays in 4,732 North American cinemas and has collected $156 million domestically in its first four days of release, a new Memorial Day Weekend record.
Globally,Top Gun: Maverickhas also been appreciated by fans and critics and earned another $124 million at the international box office. The number might seem small compared to the domestic earnings, but it is important to remember that the film is currently not playing in China and Russia, which are considered key territories. Despite that, the film has earned a total of $248 million on opening weekend, which is the highest opening for a non-superhero film since the ongoing pandemic began.
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As a contribution to the global box office forTop Gun: Maverick, the UK led with earnings of $19.4 million over the weekend. Other countries with top earnings include France, Australia, and Japan. With its global earnings,Top Gun: Maverickhas become Paramount’s second-biggest live-action opening, behind 2014’sTransformers: Age of Extinction. The latter remains on top of the list with $301.3 million in earnings globally on the opening weekend.
Superhero films have ruled the box office in 2022 and have had some of the largest opening weekends since the pandemic began. To offer perspective, the films to have the top opening weekends in the pandemic era includeSpider-Man: No Way Homewith $260 million,Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswith $187 million, andThe Batmanwith $134 million domestically. With its $124 million opening weekend (3-day), fans are excited to seeTop Gun: Maverickjoin the top ranks.
Cruise’sTop Gun: Maverickflies high on nostalgia, reflecting on Cruise’s titular character and his relationships from over 30 years ago. The originalTop Gun, which was released in 1986, has become a cult classic over the years and has a rather large fan following. It is, therefore, not surprising that audiences went in droves to theaters to catchCruise’s Maverick in action once again. The fighter jets were also considered a character of their own in the original film, and the same can be said for the sequel.
