MAVERICK WENT STRATOSPHERIC
Soaring into the $1 billion box-office club, a first for a Tom Cruise blockbuster, Top Gun: Maverick topped its iconic predecessor and exceeded all expectations. “This was exactly the kind of movie that reminded people why the cinematic experience can’t be replicated at home,” says box-office analyst Shawn Robbins. “The promise of real-world, practical action sequences added to its zeitgeist-capturing aura.” Those gravity-defying stunts, potent camaraderie from not just Cruise but a young, action-thirsty ensemble of supporting actors, plus satisfying emotional pay-offs, proved that it wasn’t speed we needed, but Maverick.