In a reflection of Hollywood’s deep late-summer slump, Top Gun: Maverick, first released 15 weeks ago, climbed back to the top of the North American box office this weekend despite a relatively slim four-day take of $7.9 million.
The Paramount action thriller, starring a graying but still flight-ready Tom Cruise, has now soared to a domestic total of $701 million and $740 million internationally, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Monday.
That gravity-defying success came amid a generally abysmal patch for Hollywood films, with few major new releases.
A lone bright spot was the record 8.1 million US moviegoers who took advantage of $3 tickets on Saturday’s National Cinema Day.
Second place on the long Labor Day weekend – celebrated in both the United States and Canada – went to last weekend’s No. 2: Sony’s action thriller Bullet Train, at $7.3 million. Brad Pitt stars.
Seeking to fill the late-summer vacuum, Sony re-released superhero film Spider-Man: No Way Home, hoping that 11 minutes of added footage would draw viewers. Nine months after its original release, the Tom Holland vehicle placed a surprising third, earning $6.6 million.
In fourth place, up two spots from last weekend, was Warner Bros.’ family-friendly animation DC League of Super-Pets, at $6.4 million.
And in fifth, slipping from last weekend’s No. 1 spot, was Sony’s horror flick The Invitation, at $6 million.
