The stakes were high, as the expectation seemed great for the arrival in theaters on Wednesday of "Top Gun: Maverick", a week after its world premiere out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
It's not every day that a sequel to a hit blockbuster comes out 36 years after the original film.
There was little doubt that the fans of the first hour would rush to this new installment, which this time puts the daredevil fighter pilot of the American army, always played by Tom Cruise, in the skin of the trainer of a band of young recruits.
On the downside, it was unclear if younger audiences would follow suit and similarly get excited about the film and make it a family hit.
It seems that the bet paid off from day one: on Wednesday, the film registered 320,887 admissions (including previews) throughout the country, a very high score.
“Top Gun: Maverick” even signs the second best start of the year at the national level, just behind “Doctor Stange in the Multiverse of Madness”, which had attracted 335,459 spectators (also including previews) on its day. out on May 4.
The feature film with Tom Cruise seems to work better in the provinces than in Paris periphery where, Wednesday at 2 p.m., it started clearly in the lead and accumulated 2,329 admissions, the fifth score of 2022.
In the coming days, "Top Gun: Maverick" should continue to spin at supersonic speed: the long ascent bridge which spans four days, and which coincides with rainy and cold weather in northern France, will probably encourage spectators to flock to cinemas…
Editor's note:
4/5
"Top Gun: Maverick", action film by Joseph Kosinski, with Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Glen Powell... (2h11)