Top Gun: Maverick makes Obama's favorite movie list of 2022
"Top Gun: Maverick" tops Obama's list of favorite movies for 2022, the former president's annual list that many fans are looking forward to seeing.
Top Gun: Maverick was named to Barack Obama's 2022 list of favorite movies, the fifth year he's shared a year-end ranking that also includes his favorite books and music. Fans dig into the former president's cultural tastes, look forward to seeing what Obama tops each year's list, and often include his favorites as their own recommendations to watch, listen to or read. Obama has raved about everything from the historical biopics "Judas" and "Black Messiah" to Prime Video's horror adaptation of the superhero satirical graphic novel "The Boys."
As the year wraps up, former President Barack Obama took to Twitter to reveal his favorite movies of 2022, and Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick is among 17 other standouts top of the list. Other audience-favorite hits like Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Woman King also feature on his annual list, as do Oscar contenders like The Fabelmans and Till. Netflix documentary "Descendants" also topped the list, although Obama admitted he was "biased" because it was produced by him and the former first lady's Higher Ground Productions. Check out Obama's favorite movies of 2022 below:
I saw some great movies this year – here are some of my favorites. What did I miss? pic.twitter.com/vsgEmc8cn8— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 23, 2022
Why Top Gun 2 Is The Biggest Surprise Of 2022
The first Top Gun came out in 1986 and is now widely regarded as a cult classic. The action flick stands out for its breathtaking visuals and stellar score, and is often credited with launching Tom Cruise's leading man career. However, no one predicted that 35 years later, its sequel would be even bigger and critically acclaimed. The movie is currently the highest-grossing movie of 2022, and Cruise is in part thanks to several streaming companies trying to buy the rights to Top Gun: Maverick during the pandemic, but Cruise insists The film is only available in theaters. With thrilling flight scenes, a full storyline and an excellent cast, "Top Gun: Maverick" surpassed its predecessors in all aspects and won the love of audiences including Obama.
Will Top Gun 3 Happen?
Given the success of Top Gun: Maverick, all avenues seem to point to another sequel that would expand the Top Gun franchise. Cruise's return will help, even though his window as a protagonist is closing as he ages. However, the absence of Val Kilmer's Iceman leaves a vacancy for Cruise's Maverick to take over as fleet commander. There is a large group of young pilots with many roles could advance the future of the franchise -- especially Myles Taylor's Rooster and Glenn Powell's Executioner. Teller revealed that he has pitched the sequel idea to Paramount Pictures and is in ongoing discussions with Cruise. Many actors, as well as producer and director Joseph Kosinski, have been working hard to make another Top Gun movie happen, so it's largely just a matter of time.
Now that awards season is upon us, Top Gun: Maverick is steadily gaining nominations and has already won the National Board of Review Award for Best Film. The movie revived the box office by drawing moviegoers to theaters, bringing in $1.49 billion, a feat not seen since the pandemic hit. Another sequel could break the record even further -- and hopefully viewers won't have to wait another 36 years to see it.
