After several delays, Top Gun: Maverick opened in theaters over the weekend with a record $160.5 million in the US.
The Memorial Day opening weekend of the movie was the biggest in history, with a haul of $150 million.
Even though it is a sequel to the biggest movie of 1986, the success of the movie wasn't guaranteed in a theatrical market dominated by comic-book movies.
The movie appeals to an older audience that has been slow to return to cinemas as the theatrical industry tries to recover from the Pandemic. The previous weekend, another adult-oriented sequel to a box-office hit, did not do as well as its predecessor.
According to the senior media analyst at Comscore, nearly half of the audience for the sequel was over the age of 55.
In its case, 45% of its audience were 35 years or older. Other hits of the Pandemic have attracted younger crowds in their teens and 20s.
How did maverick win over these older people?
Word of mouth was likely strong. The movie has a 99% audience score and a 99% critic score.
CinemaScore gives a rare A+ grade to movies on their opening night. Harold Mintz, president of CinemaScore, says that 81 of more than 5,300 movies scored in the US since 1986 have received that top grade.
Maverick was released in movie theaters and not online like some major releases last year.
Hollywood studios have largely moved away from the practice of simultaneously releasing their biggest movies to theaters and streaming platforms to the delight of theater owners who say the strategy made piracy easier and ate into a movie's box office.
Most movies are getting shorter exclusive theatrical windows. The pre-pandemic window was usually 75 days to 90 days. 45 days is a new industry standard, though it will vary between studios.
The movies from Paramount will have a 45 day theatrical window before they debut on Paramount+. A person familiar with Paramount's strategy told Insider that Maury will have a longer window than 45 days.
The movie could have strong legs throughout the summer.
The first Top Gun made just $8 million in the US in its first weekend. The highest grossing movie of 1986 was $180 million.
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