More than two months have passed since Top Gun: Maverick debuted in theaters, but the Tom Cruise blockbuster refuses to budge from the box office charts. Top Gun: Maverick has now flown past Titanic at the domestic box office, earning $662 million in total till now and outgrossing the James Cameron epic’s initial theatrical run and the 3-D re-release. However, Titanic still remains ahead when adjusted for inflation and internationally, with $2.2 billion worldwide.
Top Gun: Maverick pulled in $7 million this weekend, the film’s 11th, and fell out of the top five for the first time. Although, it’s expected to enter the list again next week, considering the lack of high-profile releases this month. However, the IMAX screens will be occupied by Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, which arrives on August 12 to commemorate its 40th anniversary.
As for the global box office, Top Gun: Maverick has surpassed Marvel’s Black Panther ($1.348 billion), and that too, without playing in China or Russia, and also in the middle of a pandemic. However, Black Panther’s domestic gross ($700 million) could be hard to beat but remains in sight.
Top Gun: Maverick is right now the seventh biggest movie ever stateside and is trailing only Avengers: Infinity War ($678.8 million), Black Panther, Avatar ($760 million), Spider-Man: No Way Home ($804 million), Avengers: Endgame ($858 million), and Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936 million). So even in the worst-case scenario, Top Gun: Maverick will cross Avengers: Infinity War’s $678 million cume in the next few weeks. And currently sitting at $1.35 billion worldwide, Top Gun: Maverick is almost certain to finish its theatrical run with at least $1.4 billion.
Top Gun: Maverick may have beaten Titanic for now, but the record won’t hold for long. Titanic celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and James Cameron, predictably, is gearing up to release it again, as reported by Deadline. However, the December slot is occupied by the likes of Avatar: The Way of Water and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, so Titanic will cruise into theaters next Valentine’s Day.
Top Gun: Maverick’s Phenomenal Success Could Lead To A Sequel
Top Gun 3 is looking like a possibility now, thanks to Top Gun: Maverick’s triumphant box office performance. The film beat giants like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Jurassic World Dominion to claim its spot as the highest-grossing movie of 2022. Top Gun: Maverick is also Tom Cruise’s biggest movie ever, and he is set for a massive payday – over $100 million, which might be the single highest yearly salary any Hollywood star has ever commanded.
And if we know one thing, Hollywood never passes up a chance to make money. Top Gun: Maverick introduced a different kind of action experience with its immersive, CGI-free, and absolutely riveting aerial sequences. It would be a shame not to give fans more of the same since modern dogfighting and aerial combat aren’t featured much in movies these days. Miles Teller has confirmed sequel talks as well and said that the fate of Top Gun 3 lies in Cruise’s hands.
Hopefully, Cruise and the Top Gun: Maverick team will return for more big-screen spectacles in the future.