Tom Cruise was called back into service by the Navy in Top Gun. A new threat has emerged, one that a younger generation of pilots can't crack on their own.
This job requires a veteran.
It was a similar situation in real life over the weekend, as Hollywood was still struggling to get people to go to the movies. The result was a defining moment for the film industry's box office recovery, with an estimated ticket sales of $151 million in North America from Thursday night through Monday. According to a research firm, more than 11 million people have stopped using in- home streaming services.
The global opening total for Top Gun: Maverick will approach $300 million if you add in overseas ticket sales.
John Fithian is the chief executive of the National Association of Theatre Owners.
Top Gun: Maverick was produced and financed by Paramount and Skydance Media, and 55 percent of ticket buyers were over the age of 35. $125 million or more is the cost of a megawatt global marketing campaign.
In some areas of the United States that tend to be overlooked by Hollywood, there was a strong turnout for Top Gun: Maverick. 20 percent of ticket buyers were aged 18 to 24, a demographic that had been in question before release, according to Paramount's president of worldwide marketing and distribution.
I think a lot of people want to take a break from the world for two hours, especially for something that makes them feel good, like this movie does.
The original Top Gun cost about 40 million dollars to make and collected $942 million at the global box office, according to the IMDb Pro database. Top Gun: Maverick, directed by Joseph Kosinski, set a theatrical booking record when it opened in North America.
Positive reviews and word of mouth helped boost ticket sales. The release was supported by a savvy marketing campaign that included a premiere on an aircraft carrier, a video stunt with James Corden that went viral, a website allowing fans to generate custom call signs with augmented reality photos, and original songs. Cruise went on a publicity tour.
Concerns about the coronaviruses seem to have faded in the United States. According to polling by the National Research Group, about 85% of prepandemic ticket buyers feel safe going to theaters. About 65 percent of people felt safe in January. According to N.R.G. data, consumers think movie theaters are safer than bars and restaurants.
Mooky Greidinger is the chief executive of Cineworld, which owns the No. 2 multiplex chain in the United States.
Greidinger and other theater owners are going to get their wish. The box office is struggling because of sporadic output by studios. February was almost devoid of big-budget offerings.
There will be a row of sequels and prequels in the weeks ahead.
Fithian said there is finally a range of options for movie goers.
The opening of Top Gun: Maverick gave Cruise, 59, the biggest opening of his decades-long career, even when adjusting for inflation. The results also included victories for Jerry Bruckheimer, 78, who produced the original Top Gun, and the sequel, and David Ellison, 39, the owner of Skydance who has become a Hollywood force.
The joyful mood in the old-line movie industry on Sunday could be summed up by an exchange between Cruise and a superior.
The superior says that your kind is headed for extinction.
"Maybe so, sir", was the reply from maverick. Not today.
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