'Maverick' becomes Tom Cruise's first film to earn billion dollars

'Top Gun' sequel is the first 2022 film and only the second in Covid times to have reached the billion benchmark

Paramount and Skydance’s all-American blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick has crossed the coveted $1 billion milestones over the weekend, reported Variety. Still flying high at the box office, Maverick is the first film of the year and only the second in Covid times, after Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, to have reached the billion benchmark. What’s more? It hit the mark without playing in China or Russia, two major markets globally.

After only a month on the big screen, Maverick has also become Tom Cruise’s first movie to have surpassed $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Previously, 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout ranked as the actor’s most successful film after having collected $791.1 million worldwide. Thus, to celebrate his first box office billion, Cruise took to Twitter to write, “To all the films in release, to all the studios, and to all the exhibitors: congratulations. To the audience: thank you for venturing out and allowing us to entertain you. See you at the movies.”

Earlier on Monday, Paramount Pictures president and chief executive officer Brian Robbins had said the studio has been “absolutely blown away” by the response Top Gun: Maverick has received. “It’s rare to get the special kind of alchemy that creates a true event film, and we have been absolutely blown away by the global response to ‘Top Gun: Maverick,'” Robbins said in a statement. “Thank you to the incomparable Tom Cruise, our visionary filmmakers and talented cast, and our amazing marketing and distribution teams, for delivering an absolutely perfect movie and theatrical experience for audiences around the world.”

Before this weekend, the sequel to the 1986 action flick Top Gun had already become the highest-grossing movie with $521 million at the box office. Now, in its fifth weekend of release, Maverick added $30.5 million and stands in a close race with newcomer Elvis for the No 1 spot at domestic box office charts. With another $484.7 million at the international box office, revenues for Maverick currently stand at a staggering $1.006 billion worldwide. Its ticket sales were sufficient to quickly surpass Disney’s Marvel adventure Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which made $943 million, becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year at the global box office.

Though Maverick also attracted bigger crowds because of its target market being oldies and youngsters, due to the nostalgic value helmed by its predecessor, the box office success of the long-delayed film was far from predetermined. However, thanks to critical and commercial praise, Top Gun: Maverick has been crushing box office records since opening in theatres over Memorial Day weekend. During the extended holiday, the film had earned $160.5 million, also becoming the first film in Cruise’s 40-year career to have surpassed $100 million in a single weekend.

According to Paramount, repeat customers and Imax screens have been fueling momentum in the weeks since Maverick’s theatrical debut. By its fourth weekend in North American movie theaters, 16% of the audience had returned more than once and 4% had returned three times or more.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the $170 million-budgeted Top Gun: Maverick revolves around Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell as he trains a new group of aviators for a crucial assignment. The cast includes Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly and Val Kilmer, who reprised his Iceman role from the first Top Gun.

“This milestone is a testament to five years of collaboration with our incredible cast and crew, including the men and women of the US Navy,” Kosinski said. “The enthusiasm from fans around the world has shown us there is no replacement for watching a movie in a packed theatre. When I was 12, I sat in awe watching Top Gun, a film that defined the theatrical experience for me. To be part of something that is shaping movie-going for a new generation of fans is the greatest achievement of all.”

For Paramount, Maverick extends a stellar 2022 box office streak. After barely releasing any films during the pandemic, the studio has struck gold at the box office with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ($190 million in North America), The Lost City ($105 million in North America), Scream ($81 million in North America) and Jackass Forever ($57 million in North America).