Top: Gun Maverick Has Beat Out Marvel For A Massive Record
Not even the Marvel Cinematic Universe can defeat the unstoppable juggernaut that is Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick.
No amount of universe jumping could help Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness outrun the massive blockbuster hit that is Top Gun: Maverick. It’s been almost three weeks since the Top Gun sequel blasted onto theater screens everywhere and they’ve brought in a whopping $401.8M at the domestic box office. This momentous occasion puts the film behind only one other – Spider-Man: No Way Home – for the biggest box office hit since the early days of the pandemic. Maverick is about halfway behind No Way Home which saw dollar signs when it raked in $804.7M during its theatrical run. As for Doctor Strange 2, it briefly held the second position with $398.7M in sales after taking out their rival comic book-based universe, DC’s The Batman which settled at $369.3M.
And while the summer movie season is upon us, it doesn’t seem likely that any other anticipated feature will knock Top Gun: Maverick from its spot high in the clouds … or at least not in June. Jurassic World Dominion dropped last weekend and is so far sitting at $157.7M in sales. We’re not saying that the dino-filled movie couldn’t catch up to Maverick, but typically speaking, an opening weekend is what sets the course for how well a film will perform and Dominion just didn’t see the numbers. The next big film preparing to launch will be Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear, which blasts to infinity and beyond this weekend. Highly anticipated by both old and young fans of the Toy Story franchise, there’s a chance that with its audiences combined, it could give Maverick a run for its money.
As for Top Gun: Maverick, part of the draw of the Joseph Kosinski-directed flick is that it’s been a story over three decades in the making. Landing on screens back in 1986, the film quickly amassed a cult following. With a storyline that made audiences laugh, cry, and quote, it was no shock when the studio announced they would be making a follow-up film to show where Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell was all these years later. Blending the old with the new, the film introduces the son of the original movie’s characters LTJG Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) and Carole Bradshaw (Meg Ryan), Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller). Set up to work alongside Rooster and a slew of new recruits on a top-secret, dangerous mission, Maverick must now face down ghosts from his past as he keeps himself and the fresh pilots safe.
Top Gun: Maverick boasts a lineup of some of the biggest names in Hollywood including Jennifer Connelly, Val Kilmer, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Jon Hamm, and Ed Harris. Critics have been loving the storyline and how it perfectly branched the original film with the new, character performances, and, of course, the high-octane stunts the film is known for. As many know, the leading man, Tom Cruise, prefers to do all his own stunts, something a lot of the newbies knew going into their auditions for the film. This makes the movie all the more enjoyable to watch as audiences realize that the adrenaline and fear behind each big barrel roll and take-off are real.
While it stands to be seen as to whether Top Gun: Maverick will be able to hold onto its position as the top-grossing film so far this year, it’s certainly off to a great start. However, even if Lightyear doesn’t knock it from its pedestal, another one waits in the wings for its day in the sun – Thor: Love and Thunder. With the highly anticipated return of the god of thunder less than one month away, there’s a very good chance that we’ll see those box office numbers fly through the roof and maybe even surpass No Way Home.
