Billion-Dollar Blockbusters: Non-Woke 'Top Gun: Maverick' Joins the Club
Top Gun: Maverick has officially joined the billion-dollar club at the global box office. The summer blockbuster, in which Tom Cruise reprises his role as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, is expected to earn loads more over the 4th of July holiday weekend.
The film marks a milestone for Cruise. It's the actor's top-grossing film of his four-decades-long career and only the 50th Hollywood movie to gross over a billion worldwide. Other Hollywood films to join the $1B club include Avengers: Endgame, Black Panther, and The Dark Knight.
Top Gun: Maverick, directed by Joseph Kosinski, was originally released over Memorial Day weekend – a fittingly patriotic date for the film. The movie has seen one of the lowest declines in box office sales history and has been a tremendous profit-maker for Paramount and Skydance studios. In celebration, Kosinski stated, "This milestone is a testament to five years of collaboration with our incredible cast and crew, including the men and women of the US Navy. The enthusiasm from fans around the world has shown us there is no replacement for watching a movie in a packed theater."
In the wake of wokeism, Top Gun: Maverick has been praised by moviegoers for its patriotism, pro-America stance, and characters of strong masculinity. Also starring Miles Teller and Jennifer Connelly, the film is devoid of lectures and statements on race, gender inequality, climate change, and other political issues as of late. Top Gun: Maverick is pure thrills, nostalgia, and summer heat – a long overdue and refreshing form of entertainment today.
Rereleased on select IMAX and premium large-format screens, this high-energy flick is on track to draw see-it-again audiences over the peak patriotic weekend.
Whether in preparation to see Top Gun: Maverick this weekend or have an at-home patriotic movie marathon of your own, here are the movies I recommend for the upcoming holiday weekend, in addition to Top Gun: Maverick in the theaters, of course:
Top Gun (1986) starring Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer; directed by Tony Scott
Saving Private Ryan (1998) starring Tom Hanks and Matt Damon; directed by Steven Spielberg
Apollo 13 (1995) starring Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon, directed by Ron Howard
Lincoln (2012) starring Daniel Day-Lewis; directed by Steven Spielberg
Lone Survivor (2013) starring Mark Wahlberg; directed by Peter Berg
The Patriot (2000) starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger; directed by Roland Emmerich
American Sniper (2014) starring Bradley Cooper; directed by Clint Eastwood
Pearl Harbor (2001) starring Josh Hartnett and Ben Affleck; directed by Michael Bay
Forrest Gump (1994) starring Tom Hanks; directed by Robert Zemeckis
A League of Their Own (1992) starring Geena Davis and Tom Hanks; directed by Penny Marshall
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I would add “Glory” a fantastic historically-based movie depicting the FIRST all-African-American regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. It features escaped and freed slaves, two of them portrayed by Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman. This regiment actually fought for the privilege of being placed at the forefront of a major battle at Fort Wagner, where many of them, including their commander, Colonel Robert Shaw(Matthew Broderick) died. A MUST-SEE movie!
"Independence Day" was a yay for America movie