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Paramount's Top Gun: Maverick continues to soar to unimaginable heights in its twelfth theatrical weekend, inching closer to a milestone many may not have anticipated once the film initially arrived in May. The Tom Cruise film finished second this weekend at the domestic box office, and is walking distance away from surpassing Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War as the sixth highest-grossing film all-time domestically.
Top Gun: Maverick comes from veteran director Joseph Kosinski and is a sequel to the original 1986 classic Top Gun, which starred Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, and Val Kilmer. The new addition to the Pete "Maverick" Mitchell story has earned over $1 billion worldwide and currently sits as Paramount's best-performing film. The film has already surpassed The Avengers and Titanic domestically to become the seventh highest-grossing film at the domestic box office.
This weekend, Top Gun: Maverick took home roughly $7.15 million, placing second behind Sony's Bullet Train, which finished first at the domestic box office for a second consecutive weekend, generating $13.4 million. The newly added box office revenue for Top Gun: Maverick brought its overall domestic total to $673.8 million. This places the film approximately $5 million behind Avengers: Infinity War, which has earned $678.8 million at the domestic box office.
If the consistent box office pattern persists, Top Gun: Maverick will push by Marvel Studios Avengers: Infinity War into unexpected airspace. Not many predicted the film's ground-breaking performance, especially after numerous delays and the pandemic pushed back its debut almost two years from its original theatrical release date. Nevertheless, fandom for the Top Gun sequel was strong, evident not only in the box office revenue but in reviews that have been glowing from critics and audiences.
Once clear of Avengers: Infinity War, the Paramount film will sit behind another Marvel Studios box office sensation, Black Panther, which earned over $700 million at the domestic box office. Slow box office weekends have proven beneficial for Top Gun: Maverick, and with more on the horizon, it could surpass the Ryan Coogler-directed film and supplant itself as the fifth highest-grossing film of all time domestically. A lot of ground still needs to be covered for this to be accomplished, but surprises are not uncommon with the record-breaking Paramount film.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens currently sits as the highest-grossing film of all time, having earned over $936.6 million at the domestic box office. Top Gun: Maverick would have to do some heavy lifting to reach the coveted top spot, which may be realistically out of the realm of possibility. Nevertheless, the film has done more than expected, as Top Gun: Maverick has quickly become the highest-grossing film of the year. It'll be interesting to see where things stand once other high-profile films appear, but for now, Top Gun: Maverick is the film to beat.
Top Gun: Maverick is currently playing in theaters.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter