Top Gun: Maverick Has Been Given Rotten Tomatoes’ Highest Honor
Top Gun: Maverick was named Rotten Tomatoes' best film of the year.
Even though Top Gun: Maverick landed in theaters last May, the explosive sequel continues to be the talk of the town. In addition to shattering multiple box office records, the long-awaited follow-up recently nabbed a total of six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Editing, Adapted Screenplay, Sound, Original Song, and VFX. Now, according to Deadline, Maverick has been named the Best Picture of 2022 by Rotten Tomatoes.
The popular review-aggregation website recently announced the winners of its 24th Annual Golden Tomato Awards. The ceremony, which honors the best-reviewed movies and television shows of each calendar year, consists of categories like Best Movies, Best Streaming Movies, Best Wide Release Movies, Best New Series, and Best Returning Series. Not surprisingly, Top Gun: Maverick was the highest-rated film of 2022 on the site.
The Joseph Kosinksi-directed sequel currently sits with a remarkable score of 96 percent from critics off 464 reviews. From audiences, Top Gun: Maverick has an astonishing score of 99 percent off over 50,000 ratings. Additionally, the film notched a rare A+ CinemaScore.
Initially, Top Gun: Maverick was scheduled to release in 2019, however, the sequel was pushed back to 2020 following the need to reshoot multiple action sequences. The movie was delayed yet again following the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw most major theater chains shut down for months. After several more delays, the film finally landed in theaters on May 29, 2022.
The sequel was initially projected to earn around $80 million in its debut weekend, but Top Gun: Maverick managed to jet past expectations, making nearly $127 million. The film played in theaters for months, shattering several box office records along the way. By the end of its big screen run, the movie raked in $718.7 million domestically and $770 million internationally for a massive global haul of approximately $1.4 billion.
In addition to being 2022’s second highest-grossing picture worldwide, Top Gun: Maverick enjoyed several other box office achievements. Not only was the sequel Tom Cruise’s first billion-dollar movie, but it’s the actor’s highest-earning film of all time. The movie also recorded the best Memorial Day weekend box office opening ever.
The movie finds US Navy Captain Pete Mitchell, call sign Maverick, continuing to push the limits as a top test pilot. Having spent years dodging promotions after the events of 1986’s Top Gun, Maverick must now face the ugly past and an uncertain future while tasked with training the next generation of elite fighter pilots for a seemingly impossible suicide mission.
As the veteran naval aviator prepares the brilliant graduates for the top-secret assignment, he must also face the equally critical challenge of navigating through an uncomfortable relationship with a hotshot lieutenant holding a grudge.
Top Gun: Maverick was directed by Joseph Kosinski from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie. The film stars Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, Jon Hamm, Charles Parnell, Jay Ellis, Glen Powell, Danny Ramirez, and Jack Schumacher. The high-octane sequel is currently streaming on Paramount+, and not surprisingly, it’s the service’s most-streamed title.
