It looks like audiences were really feeling that need for speed over the weekend, as Paramount and Skydance's Top Gun: Maverick has shattered expectations with a massive $160.5 million opening over the four-day holiday, setting the record for biggest Memorial Day weekend ever.
The blockbuster film, which has received widespread critical acclaim and incredible word-of-mouth, also holds the record for Tom Cruise's biggest opening ever, and is his first film to launch with over $100 million - which is doubly impressive considering his forty-year plus career and the fact that there are no comic book superheroes involved.
The long-awaited Joseph Kosinski-directed sequel is also playing exceedingly well overseas, grossing another $139.5 million through Monday, which raises its worldwide total past $300 million in less than a week.
With a production budget of $172.5 million and $150 million in print and advertising, the film's reported break-even number is approximately $410 million, but based on this start, it seems quite probable that Maverick will soar past that figure with relative ease by the end of June, if not sooner.
Top Gun: Maverick is yet another winner for Paramount, who are having an absolutely exceptional year so far with the Tom Cruise-starrer now becoming their fifth number one opener of this calendar year, following Scream, Jackass Forever, The Lost City, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Check out our exclusive interviews with director Joseph Kosinski and actor Glen Powell (Hangman) below:
In our review, we said, "Top Gun: Maverick is the must-see cinematic experience of the year! Packed with jaw-dropping aerial sequences, thrilling edge-of-your-seat moments, genuine heart, epic romance, huge stakes, and one of the absolute best performances of Tom Cruise's legendary career, this is the theatrical experience you've been waiting for."
Tom Cruise headlines the feature as Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, with original co-star Val Kilmer returning as Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky. The iconic pair are joined by an all-star supporting cast consisting of Jennifer Connelly as Penny Benjamin, Miles Teller as Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Jon Hamm as Vice Admiral Cyclone, Glen Powell as Hangman, Lewis Pullman as Bob, Ed Harris as Rear Admiral, Monica Barbaro as Phoenix, Charles Parnell as Rear Admiral Warlock, Danny Ramirez as Fanboy, Manny Jacinto as Fritz, Bashir Salahuddin as Coleman, Jay Ellis as Payback, Jake Picking in an undisclosed role, Raymond Lee in an undisclosed role, Lyliana Wray as Amelia Benjamin, Jean Louisa Kelly as Carole Bradshaw, Greg Davis as Coyote, and Bob Stephenson in an undisclosed role.
Top Gun: Maverick is now play in theaters worldwide!
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”
Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.