The euphoric feedback and strong word of mouth helped increase ticket sales, which easily exceeded analysts’ expectations before the launch. Top Gun: Maverick received a rare A-plus rating from ticket buyers at CinemaScore exit polls. Paramount also backed the publication with a sensible marketing campaign that included a monumental aircraft carrier premiere; a video stuntman with James Cordon going viral; promotion by hundreds of influential people on TikTok and Instagram; a website that allows fans to generate customized call signs with augmented reality photos; and original songs by Lady Gaga. As always, Cruz toured the globe on a tightly controlled advertising tour.
In the United States, concerns about the coronavirus appear to have disappeared. About 85 percent of pre-pandemic ticket buyers (those who attend at least four movies a year) now feel safe going to the movies, according to a study by the National Research Group, a film industry consultancy. In January, about 65 percent felt safe. NRG data show that consumers generally view cinemas as safer than gyms, bars and restaurants.
“This is a real turnaround,” said Muki Gradinger, CEO of Cineworld, which owns Regal Cinemas, the No. 2 multiplex chain in the United States. “We are very, very optimistic for the rest of the year.” He noted that a large percentage of Top Gun: Maverick ticket buyers have chosen first-rate screenings in wide-format cinemas such as IMAX. “Give us a movie like Top Gun every weekend,” he said.
For the first time since the beginning of 2020, Gradinger and other theater owners will make their wish come true. The box office is struggling to recover in part due to sporadic studio results. “We were going to have a really big one and then there’s nothing to follow,” Fitian said. Spider-Man: No Way Home, for example, was a huge success in late December and January, earning $ 1.9 billion worldwide. But there were also theaters largely for themselves, with February almost devoid of high-budget proposals.
In the coming weeks, Hollywood will present a series of killers from sequels and prequels, including “Jurassic World: Dominion”, “Light”, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and “Thor: Love and Thunder”. Other high-profile summer proposals include Jordan Peel’s “Where the Crawdads Sing”, “Elvis” and “Nope”. Theater owners also have high hopes for The Black Phone, a Blumhouse thriller and Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt.
“Finally, there are a number of options for movie buffs of all types,” Fitian said. “Growing a movie makes watching a movie,” he added, with trailers shown in theaters one weekend fueling attendance the next.
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