Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible Break Box Office Records This Memorial Day!

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It appears that, unfortunately for Vin Diesel, another movie star has taken the title of Memorial Day Weekend’s highest-grossing film. Despite Tom Cruise’s impressive performance, the one stealing the spotlight was an adorable blue alien from Disney, who ignited theaters with his charm.

2013 holds the record for the Memorial Day Weekend box office champion. That year, “Fast & Furious 6” dominated with over $117 million earned just in the U.S., while other blockbusters like “The Hangover Part III,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Epic,” “Iron Man 3,” and “The Great Gatsby” also performed exceptionally well, collectively driving the domestic box office to a whopping $314 million. Memorial Day Weekend is known for hosting major movies that boost revenue, such as “Aladdin” in 2019, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” in 2014, and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” in 2008. It’s typical for the highest-grossing film to earn more than $100 million over the weekend. To surpass this mark, multiple movies need to perform well, and that’s exactly what’s happening in 2025.

Preliminary data shows that Deadline is announcing that the Memorial Day Weekend of 2025 is breaking records as the highest-earning ever, with moviegoers projected to spend over $322 million on movies. Given the industry’s eagerness for positive signs following COVID-19, studios are no doubt hoping that this increased interest in going to cinemas is not just a temporary trend. Compared to the rising costs of streaming services like Netflix, going to the theater for a film now appears more budget-friendly than it has in recent years.

Lilo & Stitch And Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning Are Fueling Record-Setting Box Office

The animated film Lilo & Stitch is doing exceptionally well, having earned over $180 million so far. This is good news for Disney after a challenging year at the box office with films like Captain America: Brave New World, Snow White, and The Amateur falling short of expectations. In fact, there have been whispers that Disney might reduce its live-action remake projects due to Snow White’s poor performance. However, if Lilo & Stitch continues to perform as expected, it could reverse this trend.

Coming in second is Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, earning approximately $77+ million over a four-day weekend, surpassing the franchise record previously set by 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Promoting The Final Reckoning as the concluding chapter of Tom Cruise’s blockbuster series likely drew audiences to the cinema, although it remains to be seen if this will indeed be the final installment. Just like Top Gun: Maverick demonstrated, Cruise has the ability to revisit any franchise he chooses, and fans tend to follow suit.

This weekend, films such as “Sinners”, “Thunderbolts”, and “Final Destination Bloodlines” are contributing significantly to the total box office earnings. Notably, “Sinners”, directed by Ryan Coogler, has been a triumph for Warner Bros. Pictures. The film’s sustained success is largely due to positive word-of-mouth, demonstrating that original content aimed at adults can thrive in cinemas if it delivers quality.

Disney, on the other hand, is anticipating that they can repeat the success of “Lilo & Stitch” at the box office in the upcoming months with movies like “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”, “Tron: Ares”, “Zootopia 2”, and “Avatar: Fire and Ash”.

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2025-05-25 21:20