The film earned an excellent 'A' CinemaScore—a grade derived from polling first-night audiences directly after they leave the theater. An 'A' indicated near-universal satisfaction and confirmed that, for the people who paid to see it, the film was an exhilarating, repeatable hit. It was a sign that the movie would enjoy long legs throughout the summer.
However, as the professional reviews rolled in, a distinct and chilly disconnect began to appear. While the masses adored the film, the critics were decidedly lukewarm.
The professional consensus, as tracked by major aggregators, showed that only 69% of critics gave the film a positive review. For Alex Hayes, whose previous filmography was almost universally praised, this was a surprisingly low score. His career lowest-rated film until this point was the 1981 teen comedy Can't Buy Me Love, which held a 67 percent positive rating—meaning Top Gun was now his second-lowest reviewed film.
The critics were unanimous on one point: Alex Hayes was, once again, magnetic. But they found the film itself to be visually stunning yet emotionally and narratively thin, often dismissing it as a sleek, hyper-stylized Navy recruitment advertisement.
"The ultimate thrill-ride movie. Alex Hayes is his generation's ultimate movie star; he makes the impossible believable just by the sheer force of his presence." — Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"This is pure popcorn cinema engineered to perfection. It's an auditory and visual assault—the best kind." — Peter Travers, Variety
"A flawless piece of summer mythology. Top Gun is an ode to velocity, youthful competence, and the magnetic pull of Alex Hayes." — Richard Corliss, Time Magazine
"A feast for the eyes and an exercise in surface-level cool. The action is phenomenal, but the emotional landing gear never quite drops." — Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times
"It's a movie about the technology of war, not the meaning of it. It's glossy, empty, and morally suspect, sacrificing genuine drama for recruitment posters." — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"A deeply cynical exercise. This film treats the audience like easy marks, overwhelming us with loud noises and sleek surfaces instead of offering real drama." — Pauline Kael, The New Yorker
The morning after the nationwide premiere, the box office results were staggering, instantly confirming the massive public excitement. Top Gun's first day, combined with early premiere shows, grossed a sensational $14.1 million, establishing a new, all-time record for the highest single-day box office haul.
The momentum continued unabated through the weekend: the film pulled in $12.5 million on Saturday and $10.9 million on Sunday. This phenomenal three-day run delivered a total weekend gross of $37.5 million. This made Top Gun the highest-grossing weekend film in history, decisively surpassing the previous record holder, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which had grossed $25.3 million in its three-day opening and $33.9 million over its four-day extended Memorial Day weekend in 1984.
The film's momentum hardly slowed during the four weekdays following the opening, adding another $21.6 million to the total. This brought the first week's box office gross to an astonishing $59.1 million, solidifying Top Gun's position not just as a hit, but as a popular cultural and commercial event.
The second week saw an impressive hold, fueled by the patriotic surge of the Independence Day weekend. The film grossed another $28.4 million in its second weekend, followed by a strong $17.1 million during the remaining four weekdays.In just two weeks, Top Gun had flown past $104.6 million—a mind-boggling figure that demonstrated the critical reviews had absolutely no bearing on the public's desire to see the movie.
The holiday weekend that drove Top Gun's immense second-week numbers also coincided with the conclusion of the theatrical run for one of the year's other major hits. Platoon, the critically revered, Oscar-winning war drama, officially ended its phenomenal domestic run at $183 million and its international run at $92 million, for a total worldwide gross of $275 million.
This box office finality brought with it a headline-making revelation: Alex Hayes's unprecedented 20% cut of Platoon's worldwide gross meant he instantly earned $55 million from the theatrical run alone. This figure represented the single largest paycheck for a film in Hollywood history at that time. With future earnings from the home video market—where Platoon was expected to be a best seller—his total haul from that one performance was easily projected to exceed $60 million.
The story of Hayes's unparalleled commercial power was now complete: he had redefined the star salary structure with Platoon and was now redefining box office with Top Gun.
In the executive office at Paramount Pictures, the aroma of stale coffee hung heavy. Frank Mancuso, Sr., Chairman and CEO, stood by the window overlooking the studio lot, a sheaf of reports in his hand. Sid Ganis, President of Worldwide Marketing, sat across the mahogany table, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
They were looking at the twin headlines : TOP GUN SHATTERS OPENING WEEKEND RECORD and HAYES EARNS $55 MILLION ON PLATOON BACKEND.
Frank Mancuso's face was heavy with regret, mirrored by the weary expression on Sid Ganis's. They were the executives running Paramount Pictures. They had been the first to see the scripts for both Platoon and Top Gun. They had rejected a distribution deal for Platoon, balking at Alex Hayes's exorbitant percentage demands. Crucially, they had also rejected Top Gun for similar reasons—the backend percentage the star demanded was deemed too high, leading a rival studio to pick it up and score the massive opening weekend.
Ganis let out a long, slow sigh. "We saw the lightning and we didn't bottle it, Frank. The board is blaming us now."
Frank stayed silent.
Ganis shifted uncomfortably. "They can't blame us. We did what most executives of other studios did. Who could have assumed those two would be such big hits?"
Mancuso turned from the window, his expression heavy. "They don't care what others did. We are the first to reject those two projects. We have to take the blame." Mancuso sighed deeply, remembering how he had taken the top position at Paramount in 1984, succeeding Barry Diller over Michael Eisner, who had left for Disney. The studio had produced hits like Beverly Hills Cop (though greenlit by his predecessor), Star Trek, Beverly Hills Cop II, Crocodile Dundee, Witness, and Pretty in Pink, but the board saw only missed opportunities—specifically, the two biggest.
Frank shook his head and looked at Sid. "We need Alex Hayes in our next project to get the board off our backs."
Sid asked, his voice laced with caution, "But which project?"
Mancuso replied, his tone flat but decisive. "Send whatever projects still in pre-production to CAA, and check if Alex has any project of his own in mind. We will take it. Tell CAA we will agree to any condition they put forward."
"Isn't that impractical? The next film might flop," Sid asked, though he didn't sound convinced, considering Alex Hayes's track record of choosing good films.
"It doesn't matter. A hit will get the board off our backs,"Mancuso replied, his voice chilling. "A flop, paradoxically, still gives us cover. We will have demonstrated we did everything possible to secure the biggest star in the world. The board will have exhausted its recourse against us."
Sid nodded, understanding the desperate logic.
Sid Ganis, galvanized by Mancuso's mandate, immediately tasked his head of production with assembling the most promising projects currently on Paramount's slate. He personally reviewed the selected scripts, prioritizing those that aligned with Hayes's known preferences. Within two days, a carefully curated selection of five top-tier screenplays was delivered to Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
The immediate response from CAA was that Paramount would have to wait. Alex Hayes was not in Los Angeles, nor even in the United States, and was completely unavailable for urgent pitch meetings. He was in the United Kingdom, immersed in the production of his next film, the fairy-tale adventure The Princess Bride.