Tom Cruise Secures His Biggest Opening Weekend With ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Tom Cruise made his highest domestic debut with “Top Gun: Maverick” after it collected more than $120 million from North American cinemas during its opening weekend.

Despite generating more than $4.2 billion at the domestic box office since his movie debut in the 1980s, the prolific actor never managed to cross the $100 million mark in domestic openings. The highest domestic opening Cruise had was the $64 million “War of the Worlds” earned in its opening weekend in 2005, according to Variety, so expectations were high when “Top Gun: Maverick” debuted this week.

The sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun” not only crossed the $100 million mark, but it also set a record for the 59-year-old actor when it soared to $124 million during its opening weekend, CNBC reported.

Internationally, the Paramount and Skydance film generated the same amount, bringing its weekend total to a staggering $248 million.

“The summer movie season is back. The performance of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is a stunning reminder that when you combine one of the last genuine movie stars with great old fashioned storytelling, audiences of all ages will rush out to the theater to be a part of the communal bigger than life moviegoing experience,” Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian said.

Paramount expects its domestic sales to reach $151 million for the four-day Memorial Day weekend. After which, the aviation film could continue to reign at the box office given its limited rivals.

Before its premiere, “Maverick” was projected to make around $80 million during the Memorial Day weekend. But it beat expectations and even made the third-biggest debut of the year.

The anticipation for the film’s release became undeniable when critics raved about it in their reviews. The movie received a 97% rating on the review site Rotten Tomatoes.

“Maverick” was initially scheduled to release in 2020, but it got delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While other movies opted for streaming and hybrid releases along the way, the Tom Cruise-starrer waited until audiences were able to enjoy the big screen experience again.

The film is set to face tough competition with the release of Universal’s “Jurassic World: Dominion” on June 10. But Dergarabedian pointed out that there’s nothing to worry about.

“By the time 'Jurassic' hits theaters, ['Maverick'] will likely have already generated blockbuster numbers. It should enjoy a solid playability in theaters for the rest of the summer,” he said.