“Top Gun: Maverick” has roared past the $800 million mark at the global box office, and by crossing that milestone it now ranks as the highest-grossing film in Tom Cruise’s storied career.
The long-gestating sequel to “Top Gun,” the 1986 aeronautics action flick that solidified Cruise’s place on the A-list, has now passed “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” which was previously the actor’s most successful film with $791.1 million worldwide. Its total stands at $806.4 million, with $422.2 million of that impressive bounty coming from domestic audiences. “Top Gun: Maverick” is currently the highest-grossing film of the year in North America.
Critics loved the film, handing it a 97% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and praising its dazzling visual effects as well as its deft mix of nostalgia for the first film — with a story that appeals to a new generation of moviegoers who came of age well after the Reagan era.
The Paramount release continues the studio’s long association with Cruise. He anchors Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible” franchise and also appeared in such Paramount films as “Days of Thunder,” “The Firm” and “Jack Reacher.” “Top Gun: Maverick” is now the biggest Cruise movie in 23 markets, including the United Kingdom, Australia and Brazil.
The film finds Cruise’s Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell recruited to teach a new generation of aviators who are being tasked with pulling off a deadly mission on enemy terrain. Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Ed Harris and Val Kilmer round out the cast, while Joseph Kosinski, who previously worked with Cruise on “Oblivion,” directs. “Top Gun: Maverick’s” release was delayed several times due to the pandemic.