Tom Cruise is looking at the biggest hit of his career in the U.K. and Ireland with “Top Gun: Maverick.” The film scored a £15.9 million ($20 million) opening weekend (including Wednesday and Thursday previews), according to numbers released by Comscore.
“Top Gun: Maverick” opened a massive 84% ahead of 2005’s “War of the Worlds” (£8.6 million), which is also the actor’s highest-grossing film of all time (£30.6 million) in the territory.
“Top Gun: Maverick” also recorded the highest three-day opening to date in the U.K. and Ireland for Paramount (£11.1 million), 8% higher than the previous highest, 2007’s “Shrek the Third” (£10.3 million, £16.6 million including previews).
Overall, “Top Gun: Maverick” recorded the second-highest grossing opening weekend of 2022 (including previews), after “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (£19.8 million). Excluding previews, with £11.1 million Friday through Sunday, the film is in third place behind “Doctor Strange” (£15 million) and “The Batman (£13.4 million) for the year.
In second place the past weekend was Disney’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which grossed £1.3 million in its fourth weekend for a total of £37.7 million. In third position, A24’s “Everything Everywhere All At Once” collected £486,829 in its third weekend for a total of £2.9 million.
In fourth position, Universal’s “Downton Abbey: A New Era” took in £350,593 in its fifth weekend for a total of £13.3 million. Disney’s “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” debuted in fifth place with £346,592.
Coming up, Entertainment Film Distributors is opening Alex Garland’s keenly anticipated “Men,” starring Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear and Pappa Essiedu, fresh off its Cannes play date, mid-week across more than 300 locations.
Other releases include 606 Distribution’s Cannes-winning, Ukraine-themed “Olga”; Rob Savage’s BIFA-winning horror “Dashcam” from eOne; Signature Entertainment’s sports biopic “I Am Zlatan”; and MUBI’s Cannes title “Bergman Island,” starring Mia Wasikowska, Vicky Krieps and Tim Roth, directed by Mia Hansen-Løve.
The Bollywood release of the week is Sony Pictures Releasing International’s “Major,” starring Adivi Sesh, Sobhita Dhulipala, Saiee Manjrekar, Prakash Raj, Revathi and Murali Sharma.