Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick takes flight with $116.5m in global box office through Friday

The tally that includes $19 million from domestic previews and $40.2 million from overseas showtimes ahead of its official opening date in North America.

Domestically, Paramount is tracking a $123 million 3-day debut for the sequel—a figure that could climb to $150 million when looking at the 4-day holiday weekend. The film is in release in 4,735 locations across the US and Canada.

Top Gun: Maverick - Critics praise 'thrilling' sequel

Cruise reprises his starring role from one of the biggest movies of the 1980s, as hotshot US Navy pilot Maverick.

The Independent called it "as thrilling as blockbusters get", praising it as a "true legacy sequel".

The Telegraph called it "absurdly exciting" and "unquestionably the best studio action film in years".

Jennifer Connolly, Jon Hamm, Monica Barbaro, Danny Ramirez, Val Kilmer, and Ed Harris appear alongside Cruise in the film, which is released in cinemas later this month.