Tom Cruise just flew past a major career milestone.
In its first three days in North American theaters, the long-in-the-works sequel earned an estimated $124 million in ticket. Including international showings, its worldwide total is $248 million.
It's a great start for a film that still has the wide-open skies of Memorial Day itself to rake in even more cash. Top Gun: Maverick will likely have over $150 million by Monday, according to projections and estimates.
One of the biggest stars in the world, but not known for massive blockbuster openings.
His biggest domestic debut was in 2005, with Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds." It was $65 million in the year before that, and $61 million in the year after that. His films don't make money in the long run, but they aren't front loaded.
The sequel to Tony Scott's "Top Gun" was supposed to open in the summer of 2020. The plan was delayed several times because of the Pandemic. The sequel was co-produced and co-financed by Skydance and cost $150 million to make.
Cruise and Paramount didn't give up on their desire to have a major theatrical release despite compromises made by other companies. A streaming debut was not an option.
Cruise said that it was never going to happen.
It opened in 23,600 locations in 62 international markets, and it is a major show, with 4,735 North American theaters showing it. The build up has been just as flashy, with fighter-jet-adorned premieres on an aircraft carrier in San Diego and at the Cannes Film Festival, where Cruise was also given an honor.
The film has received stellar reviews, with the film scoring a 97% on the Tomatoes. According to exit polls, audiences were mostly male and gave it an A+ CinemaScore.
The new film has Cruise reprising the role of Maverick, who returns to the elite aviation training program to train the next generation of flyers, including Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Greg Tarzan Davis, Danny Ramirez, Lewis Pullman and Jay Ellis. Jon and Val are reprising their roles from the original.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is still the top opening with $260 million, followed by Doctor Strange.
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