Now at number nine in the all-time Australian box office:Tom Cruise at the UK Premiere of Top Gun:Maverick in London.Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
In just 25 days,the long-delayed sequel toTop Gunhas taken a stunning $56.4 million. Now expected to double,it is closing in on the top five at the all-time box office.
Director Joseph Kosinski’s movie has become the second biggest hit since cinemas reopened earlier in the pandemic,behind onlySpider-Man:No Way Home,which has taken $81.1 million since opening just before Christmas.
Data from Numero,which compiles box office figures,shows thatMaverick returned to top position on the Australian chart on the weekend,taking $6.9 million,after being briefly surpassed whenJurassic World:Dominion opened the previous weekend.
While it was heavily promoted,its success reflects positive reviews and excellent “word of mouth” – the industry term for recommendations to friends and family.
The movie,which has Tom Cruise’s Maverick training a new generation of fighter pilots for a high-risk mission,has already reached number nine in Australian box office history after overtakingThe Avengers ($53.5 million) andBohemian Rhapsody ($55.4 million).
It has been credited with drawing back both older viewers who are fans of the originalTop Gun and those who only go to cinemas rarely.
Globally,Maverick has taken $US887 million ($1.27 billion) and is expected to break $1 billion despite not being released in China.
While it should overtakeTitanic’s $57.7 million any day now,Screen Australia data shows tickets when James Cameron’s hit was released cost an average of $7.47. By last year,the average had more than doubled to $15.24.
Tom Cruise in Top Gun:Maverick.AP
The biggest hit at the Australian box office is stillAvatar,which took a phenomenal $116 million in 2009,when tickets averaged $11.99.
Maverick is easily Cruise’s biggest hit in Australian cinemas,overtakingMission:Impossible II’s $22.5 million in 2000. Adjusting for inflation,that is equivalent to $38.6 million now.
The cinema-going revival is positive news for Baz Luhrmann’sElvis which opens this week.
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Email the writer at gmaddox@smh.com.au and follow him on Twitter at @gmaddox.