Just when you thought things couldn’t get any better for Top Gun: Maverick, the airborne sequel that was 36 years in the making has only gone and become just the second movie released since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in December 2019 to reach the coveted billion-dollar threshold at the box office.
Of course, Tom Cruise’s return to the skies is still a million miles away ($900 million or so to be precise) behind Spider-Man: No Way Home, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster was a multiversal event for the ages, one that came bearing one of pop culture’s most recognizable characters three times over, and operated as part of the cinema’s most successful franchise.
With that in mind, Maverick‘s achievements surely have to be deemed the more impressive of the two, especially when there was absolute no chance anyone could have predicted Joseph Kosinski’s incredible actioner would have been in with a shot at reaching ten figures when it hit theaters a month ago.
Not only that, but Maverick is currently tied with Elvis at the top of the domestic charts after estimated claimed both films had earned $30.5 million over the weekend, so the Top Gun sequel could wind up returning to the summit in its fifth frame on the big screen, which would be nothing short of mind-blowing.
To be honest, we’re running out of superlatives for Top Gun: Maverick, with Cruise having finally headlined a $1 billion release to continue reaffirming his credentials as the biggest star of the modern era.
