Tom Cruise Reacts to Top Gun: Maverick's 'Historic' Opening Weekend: 'Thank You'

 Top Gun: Maverick — a follow-up to the 1986 original — earned an estimated $156 million at the domestic box office over the holiday weekend

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Tom Cruise

 

| CREDIT: PASCAL LE SEGRETAIN/GETTY

Tom Cruise is thankful to his fans after Top Gun: Maverick soared to new heights at the box office.

On Tuesday, the actor, 59, reacted to the film's box office success on Twitter.

"Thank you to everyone who saw #TopGun: Maverick and helped make it a historic opening weekend," he shared.

RELATED: Tom Cruise Reaches Biggest Opening Weekend Box Office of Career with Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick — a sequel to the 1986 original — earned an estimated $124 million at the domestic box office over the weekend. This also marks Cruise's biggest opening weekend to date, according to Variety.

Including Monday's tally, the film earned an estimated $156 million for its four-day opening weekend, making it the biggest opening over the Memorial Day weekend, CNN reported. It surpassed Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which made $153 million in 2007.

Prior to the film's release, Cruise's highest opening weekend was War of the Worlds, which grossed $64 million upon its debut back in 2005.

CREDIT: DAVE J. HOGAN/GETTY

RELATED: Tom Cruise Wows at Cannes for Top Gun: Maverick Premiere: 'I Make Movies for the Big Screen'

Last month at the Cannes Film Festival, Cruise revealed why he "never" considered a streaming release for Top Gun: Maverick despite delays due to the pandemic.

"That was never going to happen. Ever," said Cruise of the sequel's streaming-debut possibility. "I make movies for the big screen."

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the new film follows Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell 30 years after his graduation from TOPGUN Naval aviation program, when he is called back as an instructor for the elite fliers. Among his young charges is Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of his late best friend Goose (Anthony Edwards in the first movie). 

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RELATED: Top Gun: Maverick Team Says Val Kilmer 'Was Thrilled' to Be Included in the Sequel

Teller, 35, is joined by a new class of pilots, which includes Glen Powell, Greg Tarzan Davis, Jay Ellis, Monica Barbaro and Lewis Pullman. Jennifer Connelly and Jon Hamm also star while Val Kilmer reprises his role from the original.

Top Gun: Maverick is now playing in theaters.