Top Gun: Maverick finished the year as the most successful film globally, marking the ending of 2022. Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) returns to Naval fighter jets in Maverick, the follow-up to the original Top Gun, when he embarks on a covert mission to destroy an unauthorised uranium production. The movie has been a huge hit since its May premiere, garnering excellent reviews and dominating the box office.
Top Gun: Maverick, according to Box Office Mojo, finished the year with a worldwide box office total of $1.48 billion, narrowly beating out Avatar: The Way of Water ($1.39 billion) and Jurassic World Dominion ($1.1 billion), which took first place despite receiving negative reviews and dominated the box office. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Minions: The Rise of Gru make up the final two positions in the top five. Although both movies brought in large sums during the year, they fell short of the $1 billion threshold.
Avatar: The Way of Water struggled to overtake other movies due to its late release
Due to its December 16, 2022, release date, Avatar: The Way of Water struggled to overtake other movies as the year came to a close. It should be noted that Avatar: The Way of Water never had a growth plateau and even surpassed a milestone set by Top Gun: Maverick by earning $956.9 million, surpassing Top Gun: Maverick’s total of $770 million, to becoming the most successful 2022 movie at the international box office. Given that a major winter storm hindered Avatar: The Way of Water’s domestic sales, its $440.5 million U.S. gross is only anticipated to increase following the holiday weekend. It has already reached more than half of its $2 billion global goal in just three weeks.
Looking ahead, there are a number of anticipated blockbuster superhero films, with Marvel Studios, Sony, and the DC Universe vying for the 2023 top spot. The Marvels, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are among the Marvel films that will be released in 2023. Since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the final appearance of the titular team and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumia will feature Kang, both films have the potential to set box office records.
Which upcoming movies can beat this record?
Kraven the Hunter and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are slated for release by Sony in the meantime. After Morbius’ defeat, the former is unlikely to set any records; however, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse might. DC is currently publishing Shazam! Blue Beetle, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Flash, Fury of the Gods. Due to the phenomenal success of the previous film, the Aquaman sequel may have the best chance of topping the list. Cruise’s upcoming film, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Fast X, and Dune: Part Two are some of the competing non-superhero projects. If the success of Top Gun: Maverick is any indicator, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning may win the 2023 Oscar for best motion picture.