Box Office: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Debuts to Stratospheric $124 Million

One of Tom Cruise's greatest stunts is getting audiences to the movies for a movie that doesn't involve superheroes.

In its opening weekend, "Top Gun: Maverick" sold a record 4,732 tickets for $134 million.  

Through Monday, Paramount and Skydance's all-American action adventure is expected to earn $151 million, defying expectations and potentially setting a new Memorial Day opening weekend record.  

Currently, the holiday record is held by Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean 

At World's End," which debuted with $153 million over the long weekend in 2017. 

Cruise's return to the cockpit to perform real aerial stunts as pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is a testament to its dazzling reviews and nostalgic appeal.

As far as the international box office is concerned, the sequel to 1986's "Top Gun" has taken off with $124 million 

an impressive sum considering the movie isn't playing in key territories such as China and Russia. "Top Gun: Maverick" grossed $248 million worldwide.

Cruise's first film to top $100 million on opening weekend is "Top Gun: Maverick," his highest-grossing debut in 40 years.  

Cruise's biggest opening weekend was in 2005 when "War of the Worlds" opened to $64 million.

The film is also one of the top pandemic-era openings after "Spider-Man: No Way Home" ($260 million), "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" ($187 million), and "The Batman" ($134 million).

In fact, the audience over 40 years old, the people who were most in mind when Paramount greenlit another "Top Gun", turned out in force 

"Maverick" managed to attract significant numbers of young moviegoers - 45% were 35 or younger - who were not alive when "Top Gun" was released 36 years ago. Positive word-of-mouth will help the film reach younger audiences.

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