10 Huge Movie Box Office Hits NOBODY Saw Coming

In the lead up to Top Gun: Maverick's release, there was considerable skepticism about the film's ability to be anything beyond a modest box office success, with many believing the $180 million tentpole sequel would post modest returns in the $400-500 million range.

After all, with the 36 years between movies, it was reasonable to assume that younger audiences simply didn't give a damn about Top Gun, and with older demographics not returning to cinemas in droves on the other side of COVID, a path to blockbuster supremacy seemed blocked on all sides.

Despite this, Maverick shocked the world, going on to gross an astonishing $1.496 billion worldwide, making it both the second-highest-grossing film of 2022 - behind only Avatar: The Way of Water - and the highest-grossing film of Tom Cruise's entire career.

Maverick managed to so impressively deliver a worthwhile legacy sequel which both satisfied long-time fans of the original and onboarded those who've never seen it, while pairing Cruise with a cast of charming younger talents. Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski also did a superb job selling the film as an audio-visual experience you absolutely had to watch in the cinema, because for most it simply wouldn't be the same at home.

The only thing more stunning than Maverick tearing up the box office so ferociously? It ended up with six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.