Tom Cruise Soars to Highest Ever U.K. Opening With ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Tom Cruise is looking at the biggest hit of his career in the U.K. and Ireland with “Top Gun: Maverick.” The film scored a £15.9 million ($20 million) opening weekend (including Wednesday and Thursday previews), according to numbers released by Comscore.

“Top Gun: Maverick” opened a massive 84% ahead of 2005’s “War of the Worlds” (£8.6 million), which is also the actor’s highest-grossing film of all time (£30.6 million) in the territory.

More from Variety

• How 'Top Gun: Maverick' and Tom Cruise's Need for Speed Could Fly to the Oscars

• Kenny Loggins Re-Recorded 'Danger Zone' for 'Top Gun: Maverick' -- Why the Sequel Passed On It

• Val Kilmer's 'Top Gun: Maverick' Return: Artificial Intelligence Created 40 Models to Revive His Voice

“Top Gun: Maverick” also recorded the highest three-day opening to date in the U.K. and Ireland for Paramount (£11.1 million), 8% higher than the previous highest, 2007’s “Shrek the Third” (£10.3 million, £16.6 million including previews).

Overall, “Top Gun: Maverick” recorded the second-highest grossing opening weekend of 2022 (including previews), after “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (£19.8 million). Excluding previews, with £11.1 million Friday through Sunday, the film is in third place behind “Doctor Strange” (£15 million) and “The Batman” (£13.4 million) for the year.

In second place the past weekend was Disney’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which grossed £1.3 million in its fourth weekend for a total of £37.7 million. In third position, A24’s “Everything Everywhere All At Once” collected £486,829 in its third weekend for a total of £2.9 million.

In fourth position, Universal’s “Downton Abbey: A New Era” took in £350,593 in its fifth weekend for a total of £13.3 million. Disney’s “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” debuted in fifth place with £346,592.

Coming up, Entertainment Film Distributors is opening Alex Garland’s keenly anticipated “Men,” starring Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear and Pappa Essiedu, fresh off its Cannes play date, mid-week across more than 300 locations.

Other releases include 606 Distribution’s Cannes-winning, Ukraine-themed “Olga”; Rob Savage’s BIFA-winning horror “Dashcam” from eOne; Signature Entertainment’s sports biopic “I Am Zlatan”; and MUBI’s Cannes title “Bergman Island,” starring Mia Wasikowska, Vicky Krieps and Tim Roth, directed by Mia Hansen-Løve.

The Bollywood release of the week is Sony Pictures Releasing International’s “Major,” starring Adivi Sesh, Sobhita Dhulipala, Saiee Manjrekar, Prakash Raj, Revathi and Murali Sharma.

VIP+ Analysis: The Movies Battling “Maverick” for Summer’s #1 Hit

Best of Variety

• Everything Coming to Netflix in June 2022

• What's Coming to Disney+ in June 2022

• Molly Shannon's Memoir 'Hello Molly' Is Already an Instant Bestseller on Amazon

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.