Credit: Top Gun: Maverick
In a year that saw the live-action return of Batman, Thor, and Doctor Strange, the biggest surprise thus far sees the Tom Cruise sequel fly past the first part of the epic two-part Avengers saga and Black Panther. The sequel to the 1986 film has officially collected more than $700 million in North America, overtaking the fifth spot as the highest-grossing movie in domestic box office history. Top Gun: Maverick sees the return of Peter “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise), who’s brought on board to train a group of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission that no living pilot has ever seen. Throughout the training session, Maverick confronts his own deepest fears, which culminates into a mission that sees the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it. The film has an all-star cast of Miles Teller, Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, and Val Kilmer.
Originally, the film was set to be released back on July 12, 2019. It was pushed to December 2020 and July 2, 2021, due to the coronavirus pandemic. At one point, Paramount entertained the idea of releasing the film digitally, but Tom Cruise absolutely refused to go that route, “They wouldn’t dare,” the 59-year-old actor stated during a Q&A session at the Cannes Film Festival, “That’s not going to happen, ever. That was never going to happen. Never. Not going to happen.”
Credit: Top Gun: Maverick
Cruise would elaborate further on why he was against having the film being put up digital, citing that his movies are simply made for theaters, “Look at us all together,” he said, gesturing to the theater. “We’re all united. We’re all speaking different languages, different cultures, different ideas about art or cinema or storytelling but we are united in being able to come together as a community and share in a shared experience.” In total, Top Gun: Maverick has made over $1.4 billion dollars at the box office worldwide and is currently the highest-grossing film of 2022 thus far. Is it possible that the sequel dethrones Avatar – which sits at $760.5 domestically – in the coming weeks? It’s unlikely as Top Gun: Maverick’s performance is undercut by the film finally hitting digital on August 23, with the physical 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray releases set for November 1. (The AU dates are August 24 and November 2). According to Collider, the home release will feature bonus content including a special look at the cast’s intense flight training programs, Tom Cruise piloting his own vintage World War II P-51 Mustang, Cruise’s Q&A at the Cannes Film Festival, and so much more.
In a market that’s been dominated by Marvel and DC superheroes, The Batman, Thor: Love & Thunder, and Doctor Strange: The Multiverse of Madness didn’t come close to reaching the box office success of the Tom Cruise feature. While The Batman’s box office was cut short due to Warner Brothers opting to send the feature to HBO Max following a 45-day exclusive theater window, the two Marvel films have continued the lackluster role for Marvel’s Phase four. Doctor Strange was coming off Spider-Man: No Way Home, which was another billion-dollar-plus film that prominently featured the title character. Thor: Love & Thunder was the first chapter following the epic conclusion of Avengers: Endgame. While both films still garnered a strong box office return that most movies wish they can make, it’s been noticeable that Phase four hasn’t exactly carried the momentum following the two-part end of Phase three.
Credit: Top Gun: Maverick
Of course, the coronavirus pandemic plays a strong factor in why films such as Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Eternals didn’t come close to crossing the billion-dollar mark at the box office, but the quality of the recent films has taken a hit according to fans and critics, with Eternals garnering Marvel’s first rotten tomato last year. Plus, the oversaturation of Disney Plus shows like WandaVision, Moon Knight, and Ms. Marvel may be causing audiences to skip the product as a whole. Though this is pure speculation as it hasn’t been confirmed as the case. Either way, Top Gun: Maverick’s stunning box office numbers are impressive since Batman, Thor, and Doctor Strange, are valuable and notable intellectual properties. Interestingly enough, two more films will challenge Top Gun: Maverick’s box office spot: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avatar – The Way of The Water. The first James Cameron film made an astounding $2.8 billion worldwide since its release in 2009. The sequel is just the first out of five planned features. Black Panther made a strong worldwide number of $1.3 billion. Unless another surprise hit comes out later this year, these two films have the best chance at taking the domestic and international crown given their notable intellectual property.
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