‘Top Gun: Maverick’ breaks Memorial Day box office records with $151M, lands Tom Cruise biggest movie launch

foxnews.com:

Tom Cruise earned the biggest movie launch of his career with "Top Gun: Maverick," bringing in a projected $151 million at the box office during Memorial Day weekend.

The Paramount film, which was delayed multiple times due to the coronavirus pandemic, now holds the record for the second-best Memorial Day opening of all time behind Johnny Depp’s "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End," which earned $153 million when it was released in 2007.

Global totals were also expected to exceed $275 million despite not playing in either China or Russia, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Top Gun" was off to a staggering $51.8 million start on Friday with more than $19 million in previews from 4,700 theaters in North America.

Tom Cruise attends the red carpet for the Japan Premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick" at Osanbashi Yokohama May 24, 2022, in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan (Ken Ishii) Ticket buyers gave the Jerry Bruckheimer film an A+ on CinemaScore, with more than 70% of the audience over the age of 25 and 55% of viewers over the age of 35.