Los Angeles, Aug 21 (IANS): The action drama film 'Top Gun: Maverick', piloted by Tom Cruise, seems to be cruising at a speed nobody can match up to. The film has flown past 'Avengers: Infinity War' as it has overtaken its collection of $678 million collecting $679 million in North America, reports Variety.

With this, the sequel to the 1986 film has become the sixth-highest grossing movie in US domestic box office history. According to Variety, it's an especially impressive benchmark because 2018's every-hero-but-the-kitchen-sink adventure 'Avengers: Infinity War' had a little help in building up anticipation.

It served as part one (2019's 'Endgame' was part two) of Marvel's epic culmination of more than 20 movies -- most of which were box office juggernauts in their own right -- over 10 years.

Sure, 'Maverick' had Tom Cruise, a box office hero in his own right. But moviegoers hadn't felt the need for speed in more than 30 years; the sequel was far from a guaranteed hit. But, Tom Cruise has proven why he is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet.

Thanks to stellar word-of-mouth and repeat customers, 'Maverick' continues to defy the odds. 'Top Gun 2' is likely to continue selling tickets because the film does not have a ton of competition on the horizon.

Variety further states that it'll be fairly desolate at the box office until November, when 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' opens in theatres.

Internationally, 'Top Gun: Maverick' has generated more than $700 million -- and that's without playing in China or Russia, two major overseas markets.

Outside of North America, top-earning territories include the United Kingdom ($95 million), Japan ($82 million), Korea ($62 million), Australia ($60 million) and France ($52.8 million). Globally, it's the 13th-highest grossing movie ever with $1.379 billion to date.