Tom Cruise Has Message for 'Top Gun: Maverick' Fans After Historic Opening Weekend

By Anna Rumer

Tom Cruise has a message of gratitude to all the Top Gun fans that made Top Gun: Maverick such a massive success at the box office during its opening weekend. The actor, 59, took to Twitter Tuesday to react to the estimated $124 million domestic box office opening of the highly-anticipated sequel to his original 1986 original.

"Thank you to everyone who saw #TopGun: Maverick and helped make it a historic opening weekend," he tweeted simply. Prior to the Memorial Day weekend opening, Cruise had tweeted simply, "36 years after the first film, #TopGun: Maverick is finally here. We made it for the big screen. And we made it for you, the fans. I hope you enjoy the ride this weekend."

Top Gun: Maverick's opening weekend marks Cruise's biggest to date, Variety reported. Including Monday, the movie earned an estimated $156 million during its opening weekend, making it what CNN reported was the biggest opening over the Memorial Day weekend ever, surpassing previous record-holder Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which made $153 million in 2007. Cruise's previous opening weekend record was set by War of the Worlds back in 2005, which grossed $64 million when it premiered nearly two decades ago.

Top Gun: Maverick, directed by Joseph Kosinski, picks back up with Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell 30 years after he graduated from TOPGUN Naval aviation program. Called back as a flight instructor for the elite pilots of a new generation, Mitchell must contend with Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, played by Miles Teller, who is the son of his late best friend Goose. Also starring in the new film are Glen Powell, Greg Tarzan Davis, Jay Ellis, Monica Barbaro, Lewis Pullman, Jennifer Connelly and Jon Hamm, while Val Kilmer reprises his role from the original. 

Top Gun: Maverick is now one of the top-grossing pandemic era films, coming in behind Spider-Man: No Way Home with $260 million,  Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with $187 million and The Batman with $134 million. In addition to its favorable reviews, the film has garnered 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 99% audience score.

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