‘Lilo & Stitch’ and ‘Mission Impossible’ Set Memorial Day Record

It’s a  Memorial Day weekend  for the  box office record books . Movie theaters across the country were packed as Disney’s  “Lilo & Stitch”  and Tom Cruise’s  “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”  fueled the largest Memorial Day holiday in history – establishing several new benchmarks in the process.

Families turned out in massive numbers for Disney’s live-action  “Lilo & Stitch”  remake, which grossed an astounding  $145.5 million  in its opening weekend and is projected to reach  $183 million  by the end of Monday. These impressive ticket sales not only defied initial projections but also solidified a  Memorial Day opening weekend record , beating Tom Cruise’s own  2022  film,  “Top Gun: Maverick,”  which made  $126 million  over the weekend and  $160 million  over the four-day holiday frame. Moreover,  “Lilo & Stitch”  has achieved the second-largest opening across any four-day holiday weekend, only trailing behind  2018’s   “Black Panther,”  which raked in  $242 million  during Presidents’ Day.

Record-Breaking Performances

Meanwhile, older audiences gravitated towards Paramount’s  “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,”  which made  $63 million  over the weekend and is expected to gross  $77 million  through Monday’s holiday. This new entry has narrowly surpassed  2018’s   “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”  which made  $61 million , earning the top debut for this iconic  29-year-old franchise .

Thanks to strategic counterprogramming and the performance of holdover films like  “Final Destination Bloodlines,” “Thunderbolts,”  and  “Sinners,”  this weekend yielded the largest collective Memorial Day weekend revenue, amounting to  $322 million  across all films. It’s been over ten years since so many people flocked to theaters during this holiday period; the previous record was established in  2013  with  $314 million , led by  “Fast & Furious 6,” “The Hangover Part III,”  and  “Star Trek Into Darkness.” 

Setting the Stage for Summer Blockbusters

Cinema operators are celebrating, as Memorial Day marks the official launch of the  summer movie season , a crucial time for the film industry. Historically, this four-month period has accounted for around  $4 billion , or about  40% of the annual box office . This year shows a significant  improvement  from last year’s lackluster holiday, which was marked by the poor performance of  “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”  and  “Garfield,”  leading to the  worst  showing in three decades with a mere  $132 million  collectively.

A Strong Global Start for Disney

“Lilo & Stitch” also ignited to  $158.7 million  at the  international box office , bringing its global debut to an impressive  $341.7 million . Disney invested  $100 million  to produce the film and allocated another  $100 million  for marketing. This kid-friendly adventure features a chaotic alien who crash-lands in  Hawaii  and forms a bond with a young girl and her older sister. Directed by  Dean Fleischer Camp , the film enjoys  generation-spanning appeal —a short two decades after the original  2002 animated film .

“Lilo & Stitch” now ranks among the top debuts for Disney’s live-action remakes, trailing only  2019’s   “The Lion King”  ($191 million over its opening weekend) and  2017’s   “Beauty and the Beast”  ($174 million). This signals a solid rebound for Disney following the underwhelming performance of  March’s   “Snow White”  remake, which earned just  $204 million globally  against a  $250 million  budget. In fact, “Lilo & Stitch” outperformed “Snow White” in just four days, showcasing its acceptance among moviegoers with an  “A” grade  on  CinemaScore exit polls .

User Reception and Future Expectations

“This is a sensational opening,” commented  David A. Gross , head of movie consulting firm  Franchise Entertainment Research  regarding the “Lilo & Stitch” reboot. “It’s a  crowd-pleaser , and the audience score is outstanding.”

In addition, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” added  $127 million  internationally, resulting in a worldwide total of  $190 million . Paramount began rolling out the film internationally a week prior, folding those earnings into the initial numbers. This significant start sets the stage for the action epic, which, to validate its  $400 million  budget, requires a box office run that is equally extraordinary. It is among the most expensive films ever made, with production costs ballooning as Cruise and director  Christopher McQuarrie  navigated pandemic challenges and industry strikes.

Overall Box Office Landscape

Though reviews for “The Final Reckoning” aren’t as strong as its predecessor,  2023’s   “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,”  which faced tough competition from  “Barbenheimer,”  this new installment has been well received, earning an  “A-” grade  on CinemaScore. The plot features a plethora of  death-defying stunts  from a still-active  62-year-old  Cruise as he races against time to track down a rogue artificial intelligence known as the  Entity .

In third place,  “Final Destination Bloodlines”  grossed an impressive  $19 million  over the weekend, and is forecasted to hit  $24.5 million  through Monday. This sixth installment in the long-running horror franchise has already generated a hefty  $94.6 million  domestically.

At number four,  “Thunderbolts”  earned  $9.5 million  over the weekend, estimated to gross  $12 million  through Monday. Though it has accumulated  $171 million  domestically, it faces challenges in turning a profit against its  $180 million  budget. Finally,  “Sinners”  rounded out the top five with  $9.1 million  over the weekend and an estimated  $11.2 million  by Monday, yielding a global total of  $339 million .

Meanwhile,  “Minecraft”  appears poised to miss the  $1 billion  mark, slowing down with  $940 million  globally after two months of release. It currently stands as the biggest  Hollywood movie of the year , although “Lilo & Stitch” could be a threat to its box office supremacy.