International Box Office Editor/Senior Contributor

Refresh for latest…: Tom Cruise has outdone himself. Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick buzzed the tower in 62 international box office markets this weekend, landing with a $124M debut. This includes previews and is the best overseas launch ever for a Tom Cruise movie on a like-for-like basis, surpassing Mission: Impossible – Fallout by 28%. With domestic through Sunday, the global total is $248M.

In 32 markets, this is Cruise’s biggest opening ever, and in 18 is Paramount’s best for a live-action title. Overall, it’s the second biggest opening weekend for a live-action Paramount pic behind only Transformers Age of Extinction.

Even 36 years after the original summer blockbuster, audiences clearly have not lost that lovin’ feeling for the ace fighter pilot. The Joseph Kosinski-directed film is appealing to all demos, even moviegoers who weren’t around for the original need for speed, but legs are expected as older demos should come out for a movie with mega word of mouth.   Looking at individual markets on TG:M, the UK led play at a massive $19.4M from 735 locations. This is the biggest opening weekend for a Tom Cruise film and the biggest for a live-action Paramount title, including previews, which began ahead of Friday’s official bow.

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France lit the fires with $11.7M at 790 locations for the best Cruise bow ever, the biggest live-action Paramount start and the all-time record for Ascension weekend. 

Australia hit similar milestones for Cruise and Par, with $10.7M at 343 sites. Japan delivered a stellar $9.7M at 381. Germany’s start was $6.5M from 701.

Among markets to set Cruise records are also Brazil ($5.3M); Netherlands ($2.4M), Sweden ($2.2M), the Middle East ($6.3M), Belgium ($1.7M), New Zealand ($1.4M); Poland ($1.2M), Argentina ($1.2M), Finland ($1.1M – also the biggest opening of the year) and Portugal ($770K).

While there are some fierce dinosaurs ahead as Universal begins offshore rollout in a handful of markets this coming week on Jurassic World Dominion, Maverick is expected to have legs; let’s hope there’s room for everyone after two years of a fractured marketplace.

Maverick employed IMAX cameras and the film grossed $10.4M in the format overseas through Sunday — that reps 8.4% of the international box office from only 350 screens. IMAX also saw its biggest opening weekend in 50 markets worldwide with the sequel. Among those, 17 delivered Top 10 all-time IMAX opening weekends including the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Argentina, Sweden and Norway.

Markets yet to open include Ukraine and CIS markets which go next week. It may seem surprising given the ongoing war in Ukraine, but we understand that theaters have begun to reopen in the western part of the country.

Korea, a huge Cruise market — and fortunately not one big on piracy — releases on June 23.

SATURDAY UPDATE: After a $24.5M Friday in 62 overseas markets, Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick has now grossed $64.7M through yesterday at the international box office. This portends an offshore opening weekend for the Tom Cruise-starrer at $110M+. Including domestic’s projected $150M four-day holiday frame, that would take the worldwide bow to $260M+.

An international launch at $110M+ would rep a Cruise career-best, coming in above Mission: Impossible – Fallout which did $96M in like-for-like markets.

The debut on the Joseph Kosinski-directed sequel is particularly impressive given Russia is not in the mix and that Korea doesn’t release for another month. Global audiences clearly have not lost that lovin’ feeling for Maverick, even after 36 years. Exhibitors offshore are also adding screens with the count now at 25,000.

Individual market milestones continue to be reached, with all majors debuting at No. 1. The UK bowed at No. 1 on Friday with $4M and a 76% market share. This is the biggest opening day for a Tom Cruise movie and also for a live-action Paramount title. The cume there, with previews rolled in, is $10M.

Japan opened Friday at No. 1 grossing an excellent $2.6M at 381 locations. This is a big Cruise market and the massive premiere event is paying dividends.

France continued its great roll with another $2.3M on Friday at 790 cinemas. The cume through Friday is $8.2M. Australia added $2M yesterday at 343 sites for a running $4.5M total Germany picked up another $1.5M on Friday at 701 with a $3.9M cume to date. Brazil has cumed $3.1M through Friday and Mexico $2.8M.

We’ll have a full update on Sunday.

PREVIOUS, FRIDAY: Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick is soaring in its overseas debuts, clocking $33M from 47 markets at the international box office through Thursday. The Tom Cruise-starrer officially launched on Wednesday offshore, following paid previews in some hubs, and adds another 15 markets today, bringing the total to 62 in what is the studio’s widest release ever internationally on nearly 24,000 screens.

Word of mouth is sky high on the sequel that comes 36 years after the original summer blockbuster, and an $80M+ overseas opening weekend is assured.

Deadline Highlights so far include France, which bowed Wednesday to $1.8M, scoring the biggest opening day for a Paramount live-action title and also for Cruise in the market. Thursday added $2.9M for the best Ascension Day opening of any movie there ever. Rolled up with previews, the France cume through Thursday is $5.9M. The movie has 4.5 stars out of 5 from audiences who are turning out in the cities and the provinces across varied demos.

In Australia, Thursday’s debut was $1.5M for a $2.5M total including previews. This is Cruise’s biggest opening day ever Down Under. Germany debuted to $1.6M for a $2.5M cume with previews. Brazil likewise has cumed $2.5M so far while Mexico is at $2.1M.

AP New markets added today on the pic that’s co-financed and co-produced by Skydance, include the UK, Spain and Japan. Overall, the movie is on track to be Cruise’s top opening of all time internationally — as well as domestically.

Awareness is through the roof on Maverick, and a shoutout is deserved for the Paramount marketing team, and the indefatigable Cruise.

The promotional campaign has very likely been visible from space. The film screened for exhibition in Las Vegas (where cheers and sniffles were audible from the audience) and then world premiered in San Diego with Cruise arriving via helicopter on the deck of the USS Midway. From there, the team traveled to Mexico City and then on to Cannes where the film was greeted with a flyover and Cruise was feted by the festival with an honorary Palme d’Or and a sustained standing ovation.

AP The next day, the Top Gun crew was in London for the Royal Film Performance. In Japan, the Yokohama Osanbashi Pier featured a fireworks display ahead of the premiere in IMAX, all of which was livestreamed into four additional IMAX theaters around the country.

“And, we’re off,” as Bashir Salahuddin’s Hondo tells Maverick. We’ll have more updates throughout the weekend.

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