Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick has smashed all expectations with a huge box-office debut opening weekend in North America.
The sequel, released 36 years after the original, has hit $124 million and been screened in a recording-breaking 4,732 North American cinemas.
As well as being a huge victory for the revived 80s classic, this is also Tom Cruise's best-ever domestic opening weekend on a movie. His previous record was held by 2005's War of the Worlds at $65 million.
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The film has also been performing well globally, hitting $124 million in the International box office, and that's despite the film not being released in China and Russia. The sky-rocketing numbers have come after stellar reviews, praising the movie's jaw-dropping flying scenes, cinematography and a boost of adrenaline.
Digital Spy's review reads: "...replete with genuine suspense, adrenaline, and fist-pumping victories. And yet, somehow, Top Gun: Maverick feels subtle – the way it plays on its themes of modernisation, father-son relationships and growing old are sifted through gently as the planes roar by.
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"And yes, there's a shirtless beach scene and it is spectacular. Top Gun Maverick has everything you want from a sequel and still works as a standalone film – a miraculous feat, achieved."
Despite its success there are still lots of questions in the air. Will Maverick beat The Lion King remake's record of 4,802 cinemas by its third weekend? And perhaps most importantly, will fans have to wait another 36 years to see another Top Gun film?
Top Gun: Maverick is out now in cinemas.
![Top Gun – 4K Ultra HD [Blu-ray] [2020] [Region Free]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1623254447-51aVUJxpYxL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Top Gun – 4K Ultra HD [Blu-ray] [2020] [Region Free]")
Columbia/Legacy Top Gun - Motion Picture Soundtrack (Special Expanded Edition)
Asyia is an entertainment reporter covering TV, film, theatre, music, books and general showbiz.
She was previously a freelance reporter who has written for publications including Glamour, gal-dem, Metro and Bustle.
She has a gold-standard NCTJ diploma from News Associates. Asyia has covered industry events such as the London Film Festival and BFI Flare and has a specialist interest in analysing LGBTQ+ issues, race and identity within the cultural landscape.
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