‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Still Flying High in Sophomore Weekend with $86 Million While ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ Roars Overseas
Another week, another box-office lesson. While the Memorial Day session reminded us that there are still such things as old-school Hollywood movie stars—the kind whose name on a marquee can single-handedly open a movie—thanks to the blockbuster debut of Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick, this week we were given a refresher course in the power of positive word of mouth. Cruise’s buzzy sequel just kept soaring at the multiplex with a negligible drop off, taking in another $86 million at North American theaters. It’s especially newsworthy since the smash-hit sequel is one of the few recent out-of-the-gate moneymakers without no connection to either superheroes or comic-book I.P. Meanwhile, another eagerly awaited tentpole follow-up, Jurassic World Dominion, was met by dino-sized returns in its early overseas roll out.
Thanks to its extremely fresh 97% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and its rare ‘A+’ CinemaScore grade, Top Gun 2 witnessed a mere -32.1% dip in business in its second frame. That’s a particularly impressive accomplishment considering that even the most successful Marvel blockbusters tend to drop off in the neighborhood of -50% or more in their sophomore weekends. But at age 59, Cruise seems to keep flying higher and higher, especially in the right vehicle. Originally slated to open in the summer of 2020, Maverick earned a boffo $18,101 per-screen average in 4,571 theaters, putting its two-week domestic haul at $291.6 million. That tally pushes the film past 2005’s War of the Worlds as the biggest domestic moneymaker of Cruise’s long, hit-strewn career. Maverick, which also stars Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, Jon Hamm, and Jennifer Connelly, is performing nearly as well abroad, where it has taken in $257 million to date (and that’s without the help of Russia and China, where it has not opened). The movie’s worldwide gross after two weeks zipped past the $500 million milestone over the weekend, too, finishing the frame with $548.6 million and counting. Somewhere the producers of the next Mission: Impossible chapter are very happy indeed.
In the second place once again was Disney’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which took in just shy of $9.3 million. The latest Marvel installment fell -42.4% from the previous weekend. The Benedict Cumberbatch-led superhero epic scored a $3,765 per-screen average at 2,457 locations, putting its five-week domestic box-office total at $388.7 million. The PG-13-rated title has fared even better overseas, where it has racked up $520.7 million in ticket sales. Its current worldwide total now sits at $909.4 million.
In third was 20th Century Studios’ The Bob’s Burger Movie with $4.5 million. The PG-13-rated spin-off feature from the long-running animated TV show declined -63.8% in its second weekend, posting a $1,313 per-screen average in 3,425 theaters. Its two-week domestic haul now stands at $22.2 million. The film, which earned a solid 86% fresh rating from reviewers, has yet to make much of a dent overseas, earning a scant $1.7 million so far. Its combined worldwide gross is $23.9 million.
In fourth place was Universal’s The Bad Guys with $3.3 million. In its seventh weekend, the PG-rated animated comedy about a gang of animal thieves who struggle to become model citizens fell -23.8% from the prior session, managing a $1,162 per-screen average in 2,872 theaters. The movie, which features the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Zazie Beetz, Craig Robinson, and Awkwafina, has now pulled in $87.3 million domestically with another $131 million coming from overseas, bringing it global box-office cume to $218.3 million.
Rounding out the top five was Focus Features’ Downton Abbey: A New Erawith $3 million. The PG-rated spin-off from the beloved upstairs-downstairs British TV series starring Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, and Maggie Smith, shed -48.2% from the previous frame, scoring an $864 per-screen average at 3,471 locations. The Crawley clan’s current North American take is now $35.7 million. Internationally, the film has accumulated $41 million in its first three weeks, bringing its worldwide cume to $76.7 million.
Outside of the top five, the most-watched specialty debut was director David Cronenberg’s latest body-horror freak-out, Crimes of the Future, which bowed in tenth place with a so-so $1.1 million. Neon’s divisive R-rated chiller, which stars Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux, and Kristen Stewart, nabbed a $1,423 per-screen average in 773 theaters. Overseas, the film has scared up just $318,637, putting its first-week global take at roughly $1.4 million.
Entering the charts one notch below was IFC’s foreign-set thriller Watcher, which made $815,000 at 764 locations, translating to a $1,066 per-screen average. The R-rated title about an actress (It Follows’ Maika Monroe) who is being stalked by a serial killer in Bucharest is one of the best-reviewed genre films of 2022 with an 85% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And while Watcher’s $815,000 may sound like small potatoes compared to Maverick money, it marks the biggest opening ever for IFC’s horror label, IFC Midnight.
Still, the biggest non-Maverick news of the weekend was the early arrival of Jurassic World Dominion in 15 overseas markets. The sixth chapter in the dinos-run-amok franchise, which kicked off with 1993’s Jurassic Park, bowed to $55.4 million, with the biggest hauls coming from Mexico ($18 million) and Korea ($15 million). The sure-to-be-massive Dominion storms into multiplexes stateside on June 10.
Thanks to its extremely fresh 97% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and its rare ‘A+’ CinemaScore grade, Top Gun 2 witnessed a mere -32.1% dip in business in its second frame. That’s a particularly impressive accomplishment considering that even the most successful Marvel blockbusters tend to drop off in the neighborhood of -50% or more in their sophomore weekends. But at age 59, Cruise seems to keep flying higher and higher, especially in the right vehicle. Originally slated to open in the summer of 2020, Maverick earned a boffo $18,101 per-screen average in 4,571 theaters, putting its two-week domestic haul at $291.6 million. That tally pushes the film past 2005’s War of the Worlds as the biggest domestic moneymaker of Cruise’s long, hit-strewn career. Maverick, which also stars Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, Jon Hamm, and Jennifer Connelly, is performing nearly as well abroad, where it has taken in $257 million to date (and that’s without the help of Russia and China, where it has not opened). The movie’s worldwide gross after two weeks zipped past the $500 million milestone over the weekend, too, finishing the frame with $548.6 million and counting. Somewhere the producers of the next Mission: Impossible chapter are very happy indeed.
In the second place once again was Disney’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which took in just shy of $9.3 million. The latest Marvel installment fell -42.4% from the previous weekend. The Benedict Cumberbatch-led superhero epic scored a $3,765 per-screen average at 2,457 locations, putting its five-week domestic box-office total at $388.7 million. The PG-13-rated title has fared even better overseas, where it has racked up $520.7 million in ticket sales. Its current worldwide total now sits at $909.4 million.
In third was 20th Century Studios’ The Bob’s Burger Movie with $4.5 million. The PG-13-rated spin-off feature from the long-running animated TV show declined -63.8% in its second weekend, posting a $1,313 per-screen average in 3,425 theaters. Its two-week domestic haul now stands at $22.2 million. The film, which earned a solid 86% fresh rating from reviewers, has yet to make much of a dent overseas, earning a scant $1.7 million so far. Its combined worldwide gross is $23.9 million.
In fourth place was Universal’s The Bad Guys with $3.3 million. In its seventh weekend, the PG-rated animated comedy about a gang of animal thieves who struggle to become model citizens fell -23.8% from the prior session, managing a $1,162 per-screen average in 2,872 theaters. The movie, which features the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Zazie Beetz, Craig Robinson, and Awkwafina, has now pulled in $87.3 million domestically with another $131 million coming from overseas, bringing it global box-office cume to $218.3 million.
Rounding out the top five was Focus Features’ Downton Abbey: A New Erawith $3 million. The PG-rated spin-off from the beloved upstairs-downstairs British TV series starring Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, and Maggie Smith, shed -48.2% from the previous frame, scoring an $864 per-screen average at 3,471 locations. The Crawley clan’s current North American take is now $35.7 million. Internationally, the film has accumulated $41 million in its first three weeks, bringing its worldwide cume to $76.7 million.
Outside of the top five, the most-watched specialty debut was director David Cronenberg’s latest body-horror freak-out, Crimes of the Future, which bowed in tenth place with a so-so $1.1 million. Neon’s divisive R-rated chiller, which stars Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux, and Kristen Stewart, nabbed a $1,423 per-screen average in 773 theaters. Overseas, the film has scared up just $318,637, putting its first-week global take at roughly $1.4 million.
Entering the charts one notch below was IFC’s foreign-set thriller Watcher, which made $815,000 at 764 locations, translating to a $1,066 per-screen average. The R-rated title about an actress (It Follows’ Maika Monroe) who is being stalked by a serial killer in Bucharest is one of the best-reviewed genre films of 2022 with an 85% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And while Watcher’s $815,000 may sound like small potatoes compared to Maverick money, it marks the biggest opening ever for IFC’s horror label, IFC Midnight.
Still, the biggest non-Maverick news of the weekend was the early arrival of Jurassic World Dominion in 15 overseas markets. The sixth chapter in the dinos-run-amok franchise, which kicked off with 1993’s Jurassic Park, bowed to $55.4 million, with the biggest hauls coming from Mexico ($18 million) and Korea ($15 million). The sure-to-be-massive Dominion storms into multiplexes stateside on June 10.
