“Top Gun: Maverick” hits $1 billion and is the highest grossing theaters in 2022

In a fierce and unusual box office battle, “Elvis” and “Top Gun: Maverick” tied for number one in North America, with each film grossing $30.5 million this weekend.

“Elvis” and “Top Gun: Maverick” fought a fierce battle all weekend, with the King of Rock and Roll taking first place on Friday and dropping to second place on Saturday. Final results will be announced on Monday.

Regardless of which movie comes out on top, it’s a strong result for both.

For “Elvis,” a $30 million opening is impressive for a film aimed at older audiences. For “Maverick,” it’s almost unheard of for a movie to generate $30 million in its fifth weekend of release.

Overall, it’s an encouraging weekend at the box office, as five films are showing considerable results. “Elvis” and Universal’s new Blumhouse thriller “The Black Phone” as well as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jurassic World: Dominion” grossed $20 million or more, while Disney’s Pixar movie “ Lightyear,” came close with $17 million.

Furthermore, these ticket sales are not far off pre-Covid projections. These healthy box office returns come as audiences began to feel safer than ever going to the local cinema.

According to a study by National Research Group , 88% of moviegoers are “very or somewhat comfortable” going to the movies – marking a new all-time high. About a year ago, this percentage was closer to 59%.

Baz Luhrmann directed “Elvis”, a kaleidoscopic vision of the 20th century icon. Austin Butler stars as the king of rock in “Elvis,” which chronicles the artist’s meteoric rise to fame through the eyes of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (played by Tom Hanks). Audiences liked the film, awarding it an “A-“ CinemaScore.

David A. Gross who runs film consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research, called “Elvis” a “risky proposition” that looks like it will pay off.

“The music is dated, the character is not directly familiar, and the lead actor is unproven on the big screen. But critics and the public are responding positively,” Gross said. “This is Baz Luhrmann’s show, a spectacle of music, dance and sex appeal. A success, of course.”

The nostalgic sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun” benefited greatly from stellar word-of-mouth, which resulted in small weekly drops.

Now in its fifth weekend of release, “Maverick” has added $30.5 million, taking its box office gross to $521 million.

It was already the highest grossing film of the year in the US and Canada, but after this weekend, it is now the highest grossing film at the global box office with $1.006 billion to date.

Notably, it’s the first film of the year and only the second in Covid times (right after Sony’s $1.9 billion “Spider-Man: No Homecoming”) to cross the $1 mark. bi.

After two weekends at number one, “Jurassic World: Dominion” dropped to number three with $26.4 million in the United States.

Those ticket sales took the dinosaur-centric support to more than $300 million at the domestic box office. With $443.8 million at the international box office, “Domain” has hit $746.6 million worldwide and will soon cross the $750 million mark.

“The Black Telephone” opened at number four with $23.3 million from 3,150 North American theaters. Overseas, the film grossed $13.4 million from 45 territories, taking its returns to $35.8 million globally.

The horror film cost just $18 million to produce, putting the film on the path to profitability. Directed by Scott Derrickson, the story features Ethan Hawke as a masked serial killer who kidnaps and torments a teenager. Viewers and critics responded enthusiastically, giving the film a “B+” grade on CinemaScore and 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research stated that “By keeping costs low, including efficient and targeted marketing, Blumhouse rarely goes wrong.”

In fifth place, Disney’s “Lightyear” grossed $17.7 million, a sharp decline of 65% since its opening.

The spin-off story, set in Pixar’s “Toy Story” universe, has generated $88 million in North America to date. Overseas, “Lightyear” raised $19.3 million from 44 markets, bringing its international account to $63.6 million and its global total to $152.4 million.