Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise reaches the $1 billion mark at the global box office making it the second movie since 2019 to do so. Serving as a sequel to 1986’s Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, directed by Joseph Kosinki, sees the return of hotshot pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Cruise returns to the iconic role but this time around, he’s teaching a new batch of elite Navy pilots for a dangerous mission in enemy territory. The pilots include Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s late former co-pilot, Goose (Anthony Edwards).
Top Gun: Maverick has earned soaring reviews by critics and fans. Many have praised the practical aerial combats with the actors actually riding in real F-18s. The film even received a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and honored Tom Cruise with a prestigious award.
Director Joseph Kosinski previously said that they filmed over 800 hours of footage. The cast members were required to take significant training in order to be able to film themselves while in the cockpit of the F-18s. The actors were also required to take underwater training since they were flying over water. Along with Rooster, Top Gun: Maverick introduced several new characters including Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly), Cyclone (Jon Hamm), Phoenix (Monica Barbaro), Bob (Lewis Pullman), Payback (Jay Ellis), Fanboy (Danny Ramirez), and Hangman (Glenn Powell). Top Gun: Maverick also brought back original Top Gun star Val Kilmer as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky.
According to Deadline’s new report, Top Gun: Maverick has officially crossed $1 billion at the global box office. It is the second film since 2019 to do so after Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021. The $1 billion combines $521.7 million earned domestically and $484.7 million form international markets. Only Top Gun: Maverick and Spider-Man: No Way Home have hit this impressive milestone since Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
After 35 years since the original film, Top Gun: Maverick still brought in audiences interests in Tom Cruise’s Maverick and the actor’s reputation for doing practical stunts. The film features nostalgic moments for longtime fans as well as high-octane action for all audiences alike. The aerial combat alone makes it worth the price of admission. With movie theaters struggling over the last couple years under restrictions due to the pandemic, Top Gun: Maverick’s record-breaking performance is exactly what Tom Cruise was hoping for and to help revitalize the movie industry.
