Box Office Round-Up ~ 5/31/22

Maverick and his fellow Navy pilots may have been grounded for the past two years, but that didn’t stopped the repeatedly COVID-delayed Top Gun: Maverick from handily winning the Memorial Day weekend at the box office with a projected $124 million total. Originally slated for release in 2020, the sequel to the 1986 smash hit now has the third biggest opening weekend of 2022 (and the biggest not featuring a superhero in the title). It’s also the best opening weekend ever for Tom Cruise, surpassing War of the Worlds in 2005 and re-solidifying his movie star status, as if it was ever in doubt. Expect the Paramount actioner to retain the number-one spot next weekend as well, though it will see fierce competition when Jurassic World: Dominion arrives on June 10. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness fell to second place with a weekend gross of $16.4 million. The other returning releases also took a hit in the wake of Maverick’s success, with Downton Abbey: A New Era taking fourth place with $5.9 million and The Bad Guys in fifth with $4.6 million. The animated feature had the softest drop from last weekend’s number, as it remains a steady family-friendly alternative for moviegoers. Speaking of animation, the other new release of this weekend saw TV’s Belcher family make the jump to the big screen, as The Bob’s Burgers Movie opening in third place with a total of $12.6 million. It underperformed its initial projections this weekend (as did Top Gun: Maverick, for what it’s worth), but should continue to act as PG-rated counterprogramming for both fans of the FOX animated series and for audiences that don’t particularly feel the need for speed. 1. Top Gun: Maverick ($124 MM) Director: Joseph Kosinski (CAA) Writers: Peter Craig (CAA), Justin Marks (CAA), Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer (Range Media Partners), Christopher McQuarrie (CAA) Cast: Tom Cruise (CAA) Miles Teller (CAA) Jennifer Connelly (CAA) 2. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($16.4 MM) Director: Sam Raimi (CAA) Writers: Michael Waldron (CAA) Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch (UTA) Elizabeth Olsen (Gersh) Xochitl Gomez (Hyperion) 3. The Bob’s Burgers Movie ($12.6 MM) Director: Loren Bouchard (WME), Bernard Derriman (Gotham Group) Writers: Loren Bouchard (WME), Nora Smith (WME) Cast: H. Jon Benjamin (UTA) John Roberts (Granderson Des Rochers) Dan Mintz (WME) 4. Downton Abbey: A New Era ($5.9 MM) Director: Simon Curtis (UTA) Writers: Julian Fellowes (UTA) Cast: Hugh Bonneville (UTA) Michelle Dockery (WME) Maggie Smith (ICM) 5. The Bad Guys ($4.6 MM) Director: Pierre Perifel (UTA) Writers: Etan Cohan (CAA), Yoni Brenner, Hilary Winston (UTA) Cast: Sam Rockwell (Gersh) Marc Maron (ICM) Awkwafina (UTA) Source: Box Office Mojo, The Numbers