The miserablist in me really wants to dislike how the simple-minded “Top Gun: Maverick” could have become such a phenomenal success at the box-office.
However, I just can’t help but root for this film. It proved just how important moviegoing still is in the post-pandemic era. Millions still want to go to cinemas worldwide, and that narrative is an infectious one for not just myself, but the Academy as well.
Despite being now available to watch at home digitally, “Top Gun: Maverick” is refusing to leave the Top 5 at the domestic box-office. The Tom Cruise-led blockbuster is headed towards a $5 million weekend, dropping only 17% in its 14th weekend. Its cumulative total will reach $691 million by Sunday and will likely surpass “Black Panther’s” $700 million total for fifth place on the all-time box-office.
Kudos to The Ankler’s Jeff Sneider who kept telling me, in April, that “Top Gun: Maverick” could land a Best Picture nomination. I didn’t believe him. I thought he was crazy. Ditto Cannes boss Thierry Fremaux who saw the film in 2020 and has wanted it to screen at Cannes for the better part of two years now.
Of the three Best Picture contenders released in the summer, the others being “Elvis” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” is “Top Gun: Maverick” going to be the one to land that elusive Oscar nomination for the big prize. Maybe all three will.
The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.