Additional Coverage:
- ‘Lilo & Stitch’ and Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible’ power record Memorial Day weekend box office (latimes.com)
Box Office Soars to Record Heights Over Memorial Day Weekend
Moviegoers flocked to theaters this Memorial Day weekend, driving box office numbers to a record high and offering a much-needed boost to the industry. The weekend’s success was fueled by two major releases: Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” and the latest installment in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise.
“Lilo & Stitch” charmed audiences, taking the top spot with a stunning $183 million domestically, making it the biggest Memorial Day weekend opening in history (unadjusted for inflation). This impressive debut surpassed even “Top Gun: Maverick’s” 2022 record of $160.5 million.
Meanwhile, Tom Cruise’s high-octane “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” secured a strong second place with $77 million in domestic ticket sales. “Final Destination Bloodlines,” “Thunderbolts*,” and “Sinners” rounded out the top five.
Both films also saw significant success internationally. “Lilo & Stitch” raked in a global total of $341.7 million, while “Mission: Impossible” brought its worldwide earnings to $190 million.
The combined strength of these two blockbusters, appealing to diverse demographics, contributed to a total estimated box office revenue of $325 million for the four-day weekend. This surpasses the previous Memorial Day weekend record of $314 million set in 2013. Industry experts see this as a positive sign of recovery for theaters still grappling with the lingering effects of the pandemic and recent strikes.
Paramount’s president of domestic distribution, Chris Aronson, expressed his enthusiasm, stating that the weekend’s success demonstrates the power of a diverse slate of films to draw audiences back to theaters.
While Memorial Day weekend has historically been a bellwether for the summer movie season, recent years have seen less predictability. However, this year’s robust offerings suggest a potential return to form.
“Lilo & Stitch,” produced with a reported budget of $100 million, offered family-friendly entertainment, while the $300-400 million “Mission: Impossible” delivered the thrilling stunts and action sequences the franchise is known for. The film’s opening weekend set a new record for the series and saw strong performance on Imax screens.
The strong Memorial Day weekend performance follows a positive spring season, with films like “A Minecraft Movie” and “Sinners” contributing to near pre-pandemic levels of revenue in April. The momentum continued into May with the releases of “Thunderbolts*” and “Final Destination Bloodlines.”
Experts are hopeful that this positive trend will continue throughout the summer, with a strong lineup of anticipated releases including “Karate Kid: Legends,” a “John Wick” spin-off, live-action adaptations of “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Jurassic World Rebirth,” Pixar’s “Elio,” “Superman,” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
Analysts are projecting a domestic box office gross of $9.2 billion to $9.5 billion for 2025, signaling a continued recovery from the pandemic slump. While these figures are still below pre-pandemic levels, the upward trend provides a reason for optimism within the industry.