Los Angeles, May 26 (FN Agency) After being grounded for two years by Covid-induced delays, “Top Gun: Maverick” is ready to take off and hit the theatres on Friday after premiering in Cannes. The release of the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 classic poised to be a defining moment for the box office recovery, which so far has been largely fueled by superhero fare. Initial projections for “Top Gun: Maverick” are estimated to vary between $150 million and $180 million globally with $ 92-93 million and $100 million during its extended four-day Memorial Day weekend opening in the US. Interestingly enough, while undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s biggest and most successful actors, none of Tom Cruise’s films have managed to ever gross $100 million domestically (the US) during its opening weekend. Some early estimates also show projections of over $125 million, and if these projections meet the target it could end up doubling Cruise’s current career-high, “War of the Worlds”, which debuted at $64.8 million domestic in 2005.
In terms of worldwide openings, Cruise’s 2017 misfire “The Mummy” currently ranks as his best debut at $172.3 million. Due to the highly positive early critical reactions and a high-profile promotional Cannes campaign led by Cruise, “Top Gun: Maverick” seems poised to overperform this weekend. This would not only mark career-highs for Cruise, but signal a momentous shift at the post-pandemic box office, which has been dominated almost entirely by ultra-high budget superhero films. Overseas, Maverick opens in 62 markets, although it has yet to secure a China release date and won’t open in South Korea for two more weeks. Nor is Paramount presently making any of its titles available in Russia because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine. If all goes well, the big-budget summer flick might be able to get near or even cross $200 million globally. The film currently sports a 97 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.7 on IMDB signaling incredibly positive reactions. The “Top Gun” sequel stars Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Ed Harris and Val Kilmer.