20 Movies Way More Successful Than Anyone Expected
5. Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick is all-timer proof that all the box office analysis in the world doesn't mean squat if a well-made, exciting film connects with audiences young and old.
When the belated action sequel was first announced, if someone told you it'd end up grossing just shy of $1.5 billion globally and receive six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, you surely would've laughed.
Given the film's sizable $177 million budget and dubious popularity of Top Gun with younger audiences, many observers expected it to have a tough road to profitability, and if it were lucky it might land around the $500 million mark.
But Maverick almost made triple that figure, in large part because the film found a way to appeal to both older fans of the original and those totally fresh to the IP.
The nostalgia factor lured in O.G. fans, while the thrilling action and young ensemble cast helped it attract younger viewers, which combined with overwhelmingly positive critical reviews and a consensus that the spectacle needed to be seen on the big screen drove it to absurd commercial success.