The film has made over $500 million in two weeks.
QUICK FACTS:
- “Top Gun: Maverick” made history with its $153 million Memorial Day Weekend opening box office take, and continued to pick up traction.
- In addition to shattering an all-time record, the film only saw a 32% drop in North American ticket sales in its second weekend, according to The LA Times.
- The remake of the 1980s hit earned $81.7 million internationally this weekend for a global cumulative box office gross of $548.6 million.
- Commentators pointed to the success of “Top Gun” as proof that Americans appreciate its distinct lack of leftist “woke” ideology in films.
- The film’s pro-military, pro-American messaging caused the military to expect a boost in recruitment, which took place after the release of the original film.
MILITARY EXPECTING RECRUITING BUMP FROM FILM:
- “We did get a good recruiting bump from ‘Top Gun’ in 1986 when I went to the theaters and saw ‘Top Gun’ with my friends in ’86,” Maj. Gen. Edward W. Thomas, commander of Air Force Recruiting Service, told Fox News Digital. “I was already excited about military aviation, but I got even more excited.”
- “We expect ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ to do the same,” he added. “You know, whether people want to aim high or fly Navy, we just want them to get excited about serving the nation in some capacity.”
- In 1986, the original “Top Gun” prompted a 500% increase in applications from young men who wanted to be Naval Aviators.
BACKGROUND:
- The military has seen recruiting challenges over the last few years, which they attributed to coronavirus, which each branch missing its reserve attainment targets.
- The last military film to cause similar national buzz was Clint Eastwood’s 2014 “American Sniper,” a film about Navy SEAL Chris Kyle starring Bradly Cooper.
