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Top Gun: Maverick is absolutely crushing it at the box office.

Not bad for what is essentially “a stunning feat of US military propaganda” with the US Navy “allowed to review and approve the script and footage of the film to ensure it made the best possible impression on young would-be soldiers”.

Far be it from me to judge what you enjoy watching – unless we’re talking about The Blind Side (total trash) – and please be aware that you have been given explicit permission to cry.

The sequel to the 1986 classic is now 2022’s highest-grossing film, crossing the $1 billion mark in global box office receipts over the weekend.

Some numbers via The Guardian:

…global box office takings now total $1.006bn (£813m) after 31 days on release, overtaking 2022’s previous highest earner Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which now stands on $947m (£772m). By far the film’s biggest territory is the US, where it has earned $522m, followed by the UK ($70m) and Japan ($41m).

Top Gun: Maverick has also comfortably overtaken Cruise’s highest grossing film at the global box office: 2018 thriller Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which managed $792m.

There’s a chance the film could surpass the biggest COVID-19 era release, last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which took in $1,9 billion across the globe.

At least it’s already a personal best for Tom, who took to Twitter yesterday to thank moviegoers for turning out in such huge numbers:

To all the films in release, to all the studios, and to all the exhibitors: congratulations. To the audience: thank you for venturing out and allowing us to entertain you.

See you at the movies.

— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) June 27, 2022

Aside from his love for the industry, Tom has millions of reasons to encourage people to head to cinemas.

Estimates vary on how much he stands to make from starring in Top Gun: Maverick but he’ll definitely be laughing all the way to the bank.

Here’s Screen Rant with an article written when the box office take was still well short of the billion-dollar mark:

As he’s done in the past, Cruise bet big on the sequel’s success, opting to take a smaller than normal upfront fee of $13 million in hopes of earning big bucks via the overall Top Gun 2 box office take. He’s entitled to about 10% of Paramount’s first-dollar gross, a figure that usually encompasses roughly half the box office total…

If [the $1 billion mark] happens, Cruise would end up earning a whopping $50 million for starring and doing his own stunts in Top Gun: Maverick on top of his $13 million salary, netting him an impressive $63 million for one blockbuster movie.

So he’s currently looking at a payday of $63 million and counting as the box office take rises.

Incredibly, that is well short of what Bruce Willis made from The Sixth Sense ($115 million), Will Smith for Men in Black 3 ($100 million), and Johnny Depp for Pirates of the Caribbean (an estimated $90 million for each film, or $450 million for all five).

Exact figures are not made public but it’s believed Cruise made close to $100 million from both Mission Impossible 2 (2000) and War of the Worlds (2005).

Should Top Gun: Maverick crack $1,75 million or thereabouts, he would rival those paydays.

It’s a tough gig being one of Hollywood’s leading men but somebody’s gotta do it.

[sources:guardian&screenrant]