‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Could Upset ‘Elvis’ At Weekend Box Office As Tom Cruise Pic Flies To $500M Stateside

deadline.com:

Distribution sources are saying there’s a chance that Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick could top the box office this weekend in its fifth session with $32 million, a 28% decline week over week.This will easily send the Tom Cruise movie past the half-billion point at the domestic box office; the pic already is the actor’s highest grossing of all time with $900 million-plus worldwide.

Top Gun 2 continued to lead advance ticket sales today in the U.S., I hear.Should Top Gun 2 fly in with $30M+, it will soar above Warner Bros’ $85M Baz Luhrmann-directed Elvis, which is eyeing $20M-plus, and Universal/Blumhouse’s Scott Derrickson-directed R-rated $16M horror film The Black Phone, which is spotting $15M–$20M.Mixed in we’ve got the third weekend of Jurassic World Dominion, which is looking at around $29M, off 51%, and the second weekend of Disney/Pixar’s Lightyear, which is also expected to be down 51% at $25M.The great news in all of this is the depth and diversity of business and product at the box office; there’s the possibility that five movies could do m ore than $20M apiece.

It’s another great sign for exhibition that moviegoing is still the most affordable form of entertainment, even in an inflation-fueled economy.

NRG also reported this week that 88% of all moviegoers are very or somewhat comfortable in attending cinemas, the highest score in the Covid era.