‘Top Gun 2’ Nears $1.3 Billion, ‘Elvis’ Tops ‘Lightyear’

Top Gun: Maverick earned another $10 million (-19%) domestic and $16.4 million (-19%) overseas in its ninth weekend of theatrical release. The Tom Cruise legacy sequel pulled the third-biggest wide release ninth weekend (Frozen’s ninth weekend was its eighth weekend in wide release), behind Avatar ($23.61 million) and Titanic ($28.17 million), bringing its domestic total up to $635.6 million. That puts it within weeks of passing Jurassic World ($652 million) and Titanic ($659 million) on the all-timer’s list. Once that happens, it’ll be the third-biggest non-Disney release ever, behind only Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home ($804 million) and Fox’s Avatar ($760 million). Yes, I know that Spider-Man 3 version 2.0 is part of Disney’s MCU and that Disney now owns Fox and thus owns Avatar, but I digress.

It could still muscle past $700 million domestic, which would put it ahead of (sans inflation, obviously) Avengers: Infinity War ($679 million) and Black Panther ($700 million). If that happens, it’ll be the fifth-biggest domestic grosser ever behind Avatar ($760 million) Spider-Man: No Way Home ($804 million), Avengers: Endgame ($869 million) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($937 million). Among all single-territory grossers, it’ll be behind only those and China’s Ne Zha ($722 million), Hi, Mom ($835 million), Wolf Warrior II ($854 million) and The Battle at Lake Changjin ($911 million). The $170 million Paramount/Skydance flick has earned $1.282 billion worldwide thus far, meaning it should pass $1.3 billion next weekend and eventually end up ahead of at least Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ($1.308 billion, including $267 million in China).

Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Elvis earned another $6.3 million (-21%) in weekend five for a new $118 million domestic cume. That puts the $85 million Austin Butler/Tom Hanks biopic just ahead of the $117 million domestic cume of Pixar’s $200 million Lightyear. It’s not quite ahead of the Chris Evans-starring Toy Story spin-off. Still, Baz Luhrmann’s buzzy and awards-friendly musical melodrama has earned $210 million, putting it on course to triple its $85 million budget in raw theatrical. DC may not have “won” this year’s SDCC with two fun but straightforward panels for the two upcoming WB/New Line flicks (Black Adam and Shazam: Fury of the Gods). However, they can take comfort that, unlike Disney now, their non-superhero movies still make money theatrically.

Paramount’s Paws of Fury earned $3.875 million (-43%) in weekend two for a $13.758 million ten-day cume. Alas, maybe Paramount can retitle it Yellowstone vs. Paw Patrol: Paws of Fury for its Paramount+ debut. Blumhouse’s The Black Phone will earn another $3.43 million (-36%) in weekend five for a $78.535 million (quadruple its $19 million budget) 31-day cume as it tops $130 million worldwide. Jurassic World Dominion will have $365 million domestic and $920 million worldwide by tonight, even as it thrives on PVOD. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris will earn $1.34 million (-31%) for a $4.65 million ten-day total. A24’s Marcel the Shell with Shoes On finally expanded a little, into 590 theaters, for an $846,950 (+49%) weekend. That gives the charming family-friendly fantasy a $2.874 million 31-day total.