Top Gun: Maverick took the number one spot at the box office this weekend and has earned an estimated $56.5 million in its opening weekend. Top Gun, directed by Joseph Kosinski, was released on May 25 and topped the box office, making it the biggest movie of the weekend and the highest earning film in its first weekend. The film also managed to pull in an estimated $15.7 million overseas this weekend, making Maverick’s weekend domestic gross at $80.7 million and bringing its estimated global gross to over $140 million.
In the film, actors Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise reunited to reprise their roles as Maverick and Iceman. Cruise’s character had been the lead in the original Top Gun and was presumed dead, while Kilmer portrayed the character of Iceman, a former Naval aviator.
Kilmer tweeted his excitement over the film’s success on Monday.
“#TOPGUN succeeded at the box office this weekend! Congrats to everyone at Paramount. A week late, but true. Go birds. @TomCruise and the gang are the best.”
The film did receive a 32% “rotten” score from Rotten Tomatoes, but its critics have been fairly open about their love of the movie. IGN‘s Dan Stapleton wrote that the sequel “breaks the mold of the over-produced action film, and that is a good thing.” Stapleton also compared it to 1980’s Top Gun: “Where it holds the distinction of being the first true sequel in the original’s incredible 40-year history,” he wrote.
The original Top Gun was made for $15 million. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer told Cinema Blend that the entire $150 million to make the film was spent making the re-release possible. He called it a “one-of-a-kind experience,” and said that it wasn’t meant to be a perfect film.
“It’s meant to be an experience. It’s not supposed to be perfect. It’s meant to get people excited, not only in this country but around the world, because I think there’s a lot of people who think the movie’s their first experience of Top Gun. So it’s great to be able to present it that way, with a new digital transfer and all of the bells and whistles, and get people excited about the movie again.”
With a total gross over $140 million, it is the biggest in its country’s history. The newest addition to the franchise is expected to surpass the total, and its run at the box office is expected to continue for quite some time. The film also debuted with a jaw-dropping P.A.M.A.A. score of 95, according to Forbes.
PEOPLE reported that 80 percent of moviegoers were men, who bought approximately 70 percent of the tickets, and that 75 percent of moviegoers were between the ages of 25 and 44. It is the most in its country’s history since P.S. I Love You in 2007.
The original Top Gun came out in 1986 and went on to earn $363 million, according to Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has been recognized as one of the greatest films of all time, according to Metro.
“You are one of a small band of fighter pilots who have left the world behind to confront a formidable enemy force on an unnamed Pacific Island under the watchful eye of the Pacific Fleet. As a rookie, you and your fellow fighter pilots are preparing to make history as America’s first pilots to engage in dogfighting in the skies above enemy territory. As the fate of the aircraft carrier lies in the balance, you and your team of F-14 Tomcat pilots are the only thing standing between freedom and utter annihilation.”
The film is based on the true story of Top Gun test pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (played by Anthony Edwards), who joined the Navy before discovering the Top Gun program while trying to re-qualify. The film was written by Frederick Lau and Leonard Gordon, and directed by Tony Scott.
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