Top Gun: Maverick has become the second film to gross over $1 billion since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sequel to the 1986 classic starring Tom Cruise currently sits at $1,006,423,000 worldwide gross, according to Box Office Mojo.
Prior to the pandemic, studios could count on a handful of blockbuster films crossing the $1 billion mark each year. For example, in 2019, nine films achieved that threshold, including Avengers: Endgame, Disney’s live-action remake of The Lion King, and Frozen II. In 2018, five films reached that mark, including Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. However, due to quarantine restrictions during the pandemic, only Spider-Man: No Way Home has since managed to beat the $1 billion mark. Now, Top Gun: Maverick is joining the ranks.
Top Gun: Maverick sees Cruise reprising his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell from the first film. He is joined by Miles Teller, Jennifer Connolly, Jon Hamm, and Val Kilmer, also reprising his role from the first film as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky. The film has received high praise for its practical effects, realism, and the intense training the actors had to undergo prior to filming. Current the movie has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.6/10 rating on IMDb.
Fans of the original film have been lobbying for a sequel for decades. Top Gun: Maverick appears to be a sequel worth waiting for. “This is quite a moment. It’s been 36 years for this film, and fans have been asking for it all around the world, ” said Cruise at the film’s premiere.
