Summary
Although theTop Gunseries currently boasts an incredible box office record, it will be a lot harder forTop Gun 3to hold on to this accolade.Top Gun: Mavericktook a long time to arrive in theaters, but this didn’t hurt the blockbuster sequel’s reception.Top Gunwas released back in 1986 and a whole 36 years elapsed beforeTop Gun: Maverickarrived in May 2022. Despite its myriad production problems and release date delays, byTop Gun: Maverick’s ending, it was clear that the franchise had managed to outdo its original outing among critics and fans.
Top Gun: Maverickbecame a rare sequel that outperformed its predecessor at the box office and among reviewers, with critics hailing the follow-up as a stronger, more focused sequel with a better story. It will be tough forTop Gun 3’s plotto top the poignant effectiveness of Rooster and Maverick’s conflict, but this isn’t the only major gauntlet that the sequel’s success threw down.Top Gun: Maverick’s financial performance was incredibly impressive, with the sequel earning $1.4 billion at the box office. Before its release, it seemed impossible forTop Gun: Maverickto outdo the original movie’s box office.
Top Gun 3 Is Way More Exciting After Twisters' $124M Success - And Not Just Because Of Glen Powell
Glen Powell’s role in Twisters and a surprising behind-the-scenes creator make the movie’s success even better for the upcoming sequel Top Gun 3.
Top Gun 3 Must Become The Highest Grossing Movie Of The Year To Maintain A Franchise Streak
No Other Blockbuster Franchise Shares This Achievement
When adjusted for inflation,Top Gunmade over $900 million upon release.Top Gun: Mavericknot only outdid this achievement but kept another series record alive in the process.BothTop GunandTop Gun: Maverickwere the biggest movies of their respective release years,but it will be tough forTop Gun 3to repeat this feat. From theHarry Pottermovies to theLord of the Ringstrilogy, to theStar Warssaga, to thePirates of the Caribbeanand Marvel franchises, every other blockbuster series has too many installments to win the top spot every release year.
Some of the movies in all of these series inevitably weren’t the biggest movies in their release year. The franchises all faced competition from each other, somethingTop Gun’s two movies avoided since they were released so far apart.Top Gun: Mavericknarrowly avoided being outgrossed bySpider-Man: No Way Homein 2021 and the sequel only beatAvatar: The Way of Waterthanks to its convenient release date. James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel arrived in December, splitting its massive gross between 2022 and 2023. Regardless ofTop Gun 3’s story, this luck will be hard to replicate.
Why Top Gun 3 Maintaining The Franchise’s Box Office Streak Will Be A Challenge
Top Gun’s Franchise Box Office Record Is Hard To Replicate
The more entries there are in theTop Gunfranchise, the more the series runs the risk of losing its record. Although bothTop Gunand its sequel fared incredibly well at the box office, the franchise’s ability to maintain the top spot across its years of release is helped by how few entries there are in the series. SinceTop Gun 3’s production has been confirmed, the franchise is guaranteed to risk its tenuous position with a third outing. TheTop Gunseries may run out of luck, butTop Gun 3might still be able to repeat this unlikely feat judging by its predecessor’s successes.
