'Top Gun: Maverick' soars back to surprise lead in North American theaters

Tom Cruise-starrer 'Top Gun: Maverick' has crossed $700 million in North America, becoming one of six movies to ever surpass that milestone at the domestic box office.

The film returned to the top of box office charts over Labor Day weekend, adding $7.9 million between Friday and Monday and bringing ticket sales to $701 million. According to Paramount, 'Maverick' is the only film to ever be No. 1 at the domestic box office for both Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays, reports 'Variety'.

After 15 weeks of release, the sequel to Tom Cruise's 1986 blockbuster has overtaken Marvel's behemoth 'Black Panther' as the fifth-highest grossing movie in domestic box office history. Impressively, the 'Top Gun' follow-up has long flown past 'Black Panther' internationally and globally. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell's latest mission has racked up $740 million overseas and $1.44 billion worldwide, while T'Challa's super-heroic adventure tapped out with $674 million overseas and $1.347 billion worldwide.

"It's without a doubt, that 'Top Gun: Maverick' is a true cultural touchstone embodying the power of the cinematic experience," said Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures.

"As we celebrate this enormous achievement and the film's massive impact, we want to extend our gratitude to Tom Cruise, our filmmakers and cast, Paramount's marketing and distribution teams, and the legions of both new and longtime 'Top Gun' fans who keep turning out to enjoy this remarkable movie."

In North America, the next highest-grossing movie is 'Avatar' with $760 million, so 'Top Gun: Maverick' rapid ascent on box office charts looks to stop at No. 5, at least, for now.

Globally, 'Top Gun: Maverick' stands as the 12th-biggest movie, but it's fast approaching 11th place, which currently belongs to Disney's 'Frozen II' with $1.450 billion.

For the nation's beleaguered theatre owners, 'Top Gun: Maverick' has been the gift that keeps on giving.

Unlike most of today's blockbusters, which earn the bulk of their revenue during opening weekend, the follow-up to 'Top Gun' has remained a powerful box office draw throughout the entire summer. It has been in the top five on domestic box office charts for 14 of its 15 weeks of release, a fact that underscores the film's endurance as other tentpoles, like 'Jurassic World Dominion' and 'Thor: Love and Thunder', came and went in theatres.

Indo-Asian News Service

Plus, it's still making money in theatres even though the film landed on home entertainment in late August.

To Hollywood executives, the unexpected success of Paramount and Skydance's action-packed sequel signals that audiences young and old will venture to cinemas for a movie that doesn't involve superheroes, so long as therea¿s a compelling story to be told.

Given the 36 years that separated the original from Cruise's return to the cockpit, the triumph of 'Maverick' was far from a forgone conclusion.