Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick can't be stopped as it continues to set new box office records. The action sequel picks up in the present day after its predecessor as Cruise's Maverick is ordered back to the titular Navy pilot training program as his final flight operation before being grounded for good. Maverick is forced to confront his past when one of the young pilots he must train for a deadly new mission is the son of his late friend Goose, whose relationship has been damaged in the years since.
Alongside Cruise, the cast for Top Gun: Maverick included Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris and Val Kilmer reprising his role of Iceman. Joseph Kosinski, who previously worked with Cruise on the 2013 sci-fi action film Oblivion, is at the helm for Top Gun: Maverick with a script from Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Mission: Impossible vet Christopher McQuarrie. Following multiple development and release delays, Top Gun: Maverick hit theaters in May to rave reviews from critics and audiences and continues to be a box office smash.
With a month behind its initial release date, Top Gun: Maverick has broken new Star Wars and Marvel box office records. According to box office analyst Gitesh Pandya (via CBR), the Tom Cruise sequel grossed $44 million at the domestic box office this past weekend, becoming only the fourth movie ever to make over $40 million in their fourth weekend in theaters. Top Gun: Maverick has officially outpaced Star Wars: The Force Awakens' $42.4 million and Marvel's Black Panther at $40.8 million, though came short of Avatar's $50.3 million.
Top Gun: Maverick's latest box office record comes as the film was pitted against both Lightyear and Jurassic World Dominion, the latter of which held the top spot despite being in its second weekend. The Toy Story spinoff movie was projected to gross between $70-85 million in its opening weekend, though came in with a reported $51 million, being considered a disappointment in comparison to previous Toy Story entries and Pixar in general. Even prior to clearing Star Wars and Marvel in its fourth weekend, Top Gun: Maverick set a number of box office records, including becoming the largest Memorial Day opening weekend, beating out Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and going on to be Cruise's highest-grossing film of his career.
Given the large critical acclaim it's enjoyed, it makes sense Top Gun: Maverick continues to be a major box office hit, with many audiences looking for an easy-to-digest film for the summer. Additionally, given Jurassic World Dominion scored generally negative reviews and anticipation for Lightyear was mixed amidst the recasting for Chris Evans in the titular role and reviews coming in under previous Toy Story outings. It will be interesting to see if Top Gun: Maverick continues to set major box office records in the coming weeks as it faces off agains the likes of Elvis, The Black Phone and Thor: Love and Thunder.
Source: Gitesh Pandya (via CBR)