(Bloomberg) — “Top Gun: Maverick” had the biggest-ever theatrical debut for a Memorial Day weekend, lifting the spirits of cinema operators clawing their way back from the pandemic.
From its opening through Monday, the film brought in ticket sales of $160.5 million in the US and Canada, producer Paramount Pictures said, beating the old record held by the 2007 film “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” Imax Corp., the pioneer in large theater screens, had its best Memorial Day Weekend ever, with $32.5 million in ticket sales.
The figure raises the prospects for the first real summer moviegoing season since 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. It also suggests the industry could recover to 85% or 90% of its previous high annual tickets sales of more than $11 billion, Bloomberg Intelligence said Tuesday.
The movie, a sequel to the 1986 film that cemented Tom Cruise’s star status, was also the biggest-ever opening weekend for the actor. In its first three days, it made $126.7 million in domestic theaters, double the performance of his second-best opening in 2005 with “War of the Worlds,” according to data from Comscore Inc.
Paramount said older men drove ticket sales to the movie, about fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Almost 60% of the audience was male and 55% of fans were over age 35, likely meaning they recalled the first “Top Gun.”
Having a film about the US Navy’s flight school open over Memorial Day weekend probably helped draw moviegoers into theaters, according to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with Comscore. Box office estimates grew over the weekend, suggesting word-of-mouth recommendations for the picture were strong.
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