Here's how much Top Gun: Maverick cost to make and what it needs to earn to be considered a box office success. After a plethora of delays (many of which were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic), the long-awaited sequel to 1980s classic Top Gun is finally ready for its premiere. The film sees Tom Cruise reprise his iconic role of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, who takes a new generation of Navy pilots under his wing. He's surrounded by a star-studded ensemble that includes Val Kilmer, Miles Teller, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, and Glen Powell.

As is par for the course with Cruise's tentpoles, a key component of the Top: Gun Maverick marketing campaign is highlighting how much of the spectacular action sequences were filmed practically. A number of behind-the-scenes interviews and videos have discussed the intense stunt training the Top Gun: Maverick cast went through in order to make the dogfights look as authentic as possible onscreen. That commitment makes the sequel a must-see event on the big screen this summer movie season, and Paramount is hoping the movie strikes a chord with audiences so it can turn a profit.

Top Gun: Maverick Budget - How Much It Cost To Make


Top Gun: Maverick's reported production budget is $152 million. That figure is in line with the last handful of Mission: Impossible movies. Both Mission: Impossible III and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation were budgeted at $150 million. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol cost $145 million to make. Mission: Impossible - Fallout had a $178 million budget. Among other recent blockbusters, Top Gun: Maverick is in the ballpark of the MCU's Shang-Chi, which cost between $150-200 million.

Top Gun: Maverick Box Office - How Much It Needs To Make


The general rule of thumb is a movie needs to gross twice its production budget in order to break even. Going by that formula, Top Gun: Maverick would have to earn roughly $304 million globally to recoup its costs. It will be interesting to track its box office performance. Outside of Mission: Impossible (which continues to be a reliable draw), much of Cruise's output has been hit or miss commercially lately. The Mummy was an infamous bomb, killing the Dark Universe franchise before it really kicked off. Cruise's Jack Reacher film franchise fizzled out after only two installments. Even the well-received Edge of Tomorrow struggled at the box office before catching on with viewers later on home media. Earlier in his career, Cruise was one of the box office's biggest stars, but nowadays he isn't always as sure of a lock.

The original Top Gun is one of Cruise's best-known films and was the highest-grossing title of 1986. The legacy sequel has the nostalgia factor and brand recognition that could carry it to success. Also working in the movie's favor is the fact the Top Gun: Maverick early reviews are very positive, praising the film has something that demands to be seen on the biggest of screens. Especially now that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been out for a few weeks, that word-of-mouth may propel Top Gun: Maverick at the box office. It's facing minimal competition over Memorial Day weekend, and there's still time before Jurassic World Dominion releases. Perhaps Top Gun: Maverick will be a non-Mission: Impossible hit for Cruise.

Top Gun: Maverick/Top Gun 2 (2022)
Release Date: May 27, 2022