Tom Cruise and all those connected with the monster hit “Top Gun: Maverick” have more reason to celebrate after being named the Best Film of 2022 by the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes.

The highly anticipated sequel to the 1986 movie “Top Gun” grossed more domestically than any other movie in 2022 and was genuinely loved by critics and audience members alike, Deadline reported.

The movie scored a 96% certified fresh grade from critics out of nearly 500 reviews — and even more impressive was the 99% fresh score the “Top Gun” sequel got from those who went to see the movie. Other movies in the top three include “The Banshees of Inisherin” with a 97% certified fresh score, and the sci-fi adventure “Everything Everywhere All at Once” with 95%.

The film directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Cruise scored a rare A+ CinemaScore, too. It was not only a hit with theater-goers domestically, but ended up being the second highest grossing movie worldwide based on pure calendar days of 2022.

“Top Gun: Maverick” has also been nominated for a total of six Oscars, including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay (from Ehren Kruger, Christopher McQuarrie, Eric Warren Singer, Peter Craig, and Justin Marks), along with a nomination for Lady Gaga and BloodPop’s original song “Hold My Hand,” the outlet noted.

In the non-woke sequel, Cruise’s character “Pete Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him,” before he is called back to “Top Gun,” according to IMDb.

The film’s global success has made it the “Mission: Impossible” star’s first film to ever reach such a milestone. The success of the movie did not escape Cruise, who previously took to social media to thank fans for turning up in droves.

“To all the films in release, to all the studios, and to all the exhibitors: congratulations,” Cruise’s tweet to his 6.9 million followers read.

To all the films in release, to all the studios, and to all the exhibitors: congratulations. To the audience: thank you for venturing out and allowing us to entertain you.

See you at the movies.

— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) June 27, 2022

“To the audience: thank you for venturing out and allowing us to entertain you,” the actor’s message added. “See you at the movies.”

Related: Tom Cruise And ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Can Take Another Victory Lap After Debut On Paramount+

This article is a companion piece to today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click here.

Ex-Twitter Execs Testify

Congress held its first hearing on Twitter’s alleged censorship of conservative viewpoints on Wednesday. Several former high-level executives testified, including the Former Head of Trust & Safety at Twitter, Yoel Roth, as well as legal counsel Vijaya Gadde and Jim Baker. The hearing centered around Twitter’s decision to censor the New York Post’s 2020 story about Hunter Biden’s “laptop from hell”:

Yoel Roth on the Hunter Biden laptop story:

"Twitter made a mistake … I have been clear that in my judgment at the time, Twitter should not have taken action to block the New York Post's reporting."

Read more, via @alanagoodman:https://t.co/ziaOkl63Pu pic.twitter.com/ljW4DwwcIf

— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) February 8, 2023

Former FBI official/Twitter counsel Jim Baker can't answer if he talked to the FBI about Hunter's laptop: "I don’t recall speaking to the FBI sitting here today." pic.twitter.com/SJoZR5ivWS

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 8, 2023

Chinese Spy Balloon Part Of Larger Program?

U.S. Intelligence has reportedly linked the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down this past weekend to a vast surveillance program being conducted by the Chinese military against numerous foreign nations. According to a Washington Post report, the balloon surveillance program has targeted military assets in several rival countries including Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

Syrian Rescue Teams Continue Search

Rescue teams in Turkey and Syria continued searching rubble Wednesday following the world’s deadliest earthquake in over a decade. More than 11,000 have been confirmed dead. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the especially hard-hit Hatay province, where more than 3,300 people died and entire neighborhoods were destroyed. Residents there have criticized the government’s response, saying rescuers were slow to arrive.

Did The U.S. Bomb The Nord Stream Pipelines?

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported today on substack that U.S. Navy diving teams bombed the Nord Stream pipelines in coordination with Norway in September. According to Hersh, the plan to attack the Nord Stream was initiated prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A White House spokesperson responded within hours, calling the report “false and complete fiction.” A CIA spokesperson said the claim was “completely and utterly false.”

Zelenksy Meets With British Prime Minister, King

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to London today to meet with the British prime minister, as well as King Charles III. Zelensky is requesting dozens of fighter jets from the West in order to fight the Russian aggressors. Zelenksy will also meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris on Wednesday.

Gender-Neutral God?

The liturgical commission of the Church of England has begun looking into changing prayers and other parts of the liturgy by referring to God in a gender-neutral way. Currently, the Christian church refers to God in the masculine form, but leaders told the media that might need to be changed to better reflect God’s essence.

“Christians have recognized since ancient times that God is neither male nor female, yet the variety of ways of addressing and describing God found in scripture has not always been reflected in our worship,” a church representative told British media.

AMC Theatre Introducing New Ticket Pricing Structure

Many critics, including celebrities, are weighing in on the new AMC Theatres pricing structure, which would charge more for better seats at the movies. For example, “Lord of the Rings” actor Elijah Wood recently commented on the situation, saying he believed charging more for preferable locations was unfair to individuals with less discretionary income.

“The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all,” Wood tweeted. The pricing change, he said, would “essentially penalize people for lower-income and reward for higher income.”

A spokesman for AMC responded to the criticism, saying every seat “delivers an amazing moviegoing experience,” but the tiered pricing allows customers to choose a specific seat.

LeBron Breaks Scoring Record

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James broke the NBA’s all-time scoring record Tuesday night in a loss to the Oklahoma city Thunder. Kareem Abdul Jabar, the now former record holder, was in attendance for the historic night. James now stands alone with 38,390 points in his career. Here’s the radio call of the bucket that put him on top:

Here is another look at the radio call from the @Lakers when LeBron James broke all time points record in @NBA history, radio broadcast courtesy of 710LA ESPN Radio pic.twitter.com/olK8liUyVl

— Braydyn Lents (@LentsBraydyn) February 8, 2023

To listen to the audio version of this podcast, click here. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.