Tom Cruise’s call back to Top Gun is probably now the greatest ride of his as the movie crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office a month after it was released.
“Maverick” is the first film in Cruise’s over 40 years to reach the billion-dollar milestone. It surpassed the Marvel movie “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” as the highest-grossing movie of the year so far at the global box office, according to Variety.
Maverick is also the second-highest-grossing film of Paramount in domestic figures, following the 1997 classic “Titanic”.
What makes it even more impressive? The film was able to reach this milestone while in a pandemic, and without being shown in two major markets – China and Russia.
The renowned actor and producer took to Twitter to celebrate the moment and give thanks to everyone, writing, “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.”
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.
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) June 27, 2022
Paramount president and chief executive officer Brian Robbins said that they have been “absolutely blown away” by the world’s response to the movie.
“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.”
It is because of the old-fashioned word of mouth that has helped the movie to be where it is now, as the enthusiasm from the audiences has kept some of them coming back to the theaters again.
Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscor, told CNN Business that “for any film to join the $1 billion club is a monumental achievement, But ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ hitting $1 billion during the pandemic is a bit different.”
“It was the perfect movie at the perfect time because it starred one of Hollywood’s last movie stars, in a movie that delivered on all fronts to all audiences around the world,” he added.
Richard Trenholm, a critic from CNET, called the movie a “polished action movie powerhouse.” So far, it has earned a metascore of 78 on Metacritic, and 97 percent positive critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Top Gun: Maverick is the 50th film in history to earn more than $1 billion at the global box office.
Featured photo from Paramount