Back in 2019, Avengers: Endgame would surpass $1 billion at the worldwide box office. No movie, other than Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) would touch that amount since; that is until the recent highly-anticipated release of Top Gun: Maverick.
Serving as a sequel to the much-loved 1986 classic, Maverick sees Tom Cruise return in the titular role of pilot Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell. Cruise's performance, and that of the incredible cast and crew surrounding him for this box office smash hit, has seen the feature bring in almost perfect review scores from everybody across the globe who has let their thoughts be known.
That praise has translated into some mammoth takings, with the film taking $521.7 million from United States audiences and, over $484.7 million from international cinema.
Some wondered if waiting 35 years to deliver a sequel would harm the Top Gun legacy, but it appears that the direct opposite is true. Giving fans three-and-a-half decades to hold out for this follow-up has simply piqued their interest, bringing back those legacy fans and likely bringing in all-new legions of audiences who are experiencing the Top Gun story for the first time.
In Maverick, our titular hero is seen teaching a new batch of pilots for dangerous missions, including one in enemy territory that puts everybody's lives at risk.
Stars new to the series include Miles Teller as Rooster, the son of late legacy character Goose, as well as Jennifer Connelly as Penny, Jon Hamm as Cyclone, Monica Barbaro as Phoenix, Jay Ellis as Payback, Glen Powell as Hangman and, Lewis Pullman as Bob.
Val Kilmer also makes a welcome return as Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky.
Having suffered so much due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it's great news to see audiences packing out cinema seats once again. Hopefully, more films will continue to inspire us all to get out and enjoy a blockbuster, ensuring the survival of one of the world’s most exciting forms of entertainment.
Top Gun: Maverick is out now in cinemas across the globe.
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