Topline
Americans are spending their Memorial Day weekends at the movies, as box office data suggests this weekend is on track to be the highest-grossing Memorial Day weekend ever at the box office, with Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” remake taking in $183 million and beating out “Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning.”
Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” live-action remake is poised to become the highest-grossing film ever … More
Key Facts
An estimated $322 million is expected to be taken in at the domestic box office over Memorial Day weekend, according to studio estimates cited by multiple outlets Sunday.
That beats out the previous record set in 2013, when films like “Fast & Furious 6” and “The Hangover Part III” led to a $314 million haul.
“Lilo & Stitch” is projected to win the weekend box office with an estimated $183 million through Monday, which would mark the highest Memorial Day weekend opening of all time, overtaking “Top Gun: Maverick” and its $126 million opening in 2022.
“Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is in second place and set for an estimated $77 million at the box office through Monday, which is the highest-grossing opening for any movie in the “Mission Impossible” franchise.
“Final Destination: Bloodlines” is in the third spot at the box office, tracking for $24 million across the four-day weekend, followed by “Thunderbolts,” “Sinners” and “The Last Rodeo.”
The record-breaking weekend stands in sharp contrast to last year’s Memorial Day weekend, which marked the worst Memorial Day at the box office in more than 20 years—excluding 2020—as movies like “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “The Garfield Movie” garnered only $132 million in total.
What To Watch For
Experts cited by The Los Angeles Times believe the strong Memorial Day box office—and higher spring movie attendance before that—suggest box office revenues are likely to be high this summer, which is usually the busiest season for moviegoing. Upcoming summer releases that could see big numbers at the box office include “Karate Kid: Legends,” the live-action remake of “How to Train Your Dragon,” Disney/Pixar’s “Elio,” “John Wick” spinoff “Ballerina,” “Jurassic World Rebirth,” a new “Superman” movie and Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
Surprising Fact
“Lilo & Stitch” is on track to gross more at the box office this weekend than the original film did during its entire theatrical run, not accounting for inflation. The original animated film took in $145.8 million at the domestic box office during its theatrical release in 2003.
How Does ‘lilo & Stitch’ Compare To Other Disney Live-Action Remakes?
“Lilo & Stitch” is poised to be one of Disney’s biggest openings for one of its live-action remakes, behind “The Lion King” in 2019, which took in $191.7 million across three days. “Beauty and the Beast” also took in $174.8 million across its three-day opening in 2017, which is less than the full projected box office haul for “Lilo & Stitch” over the long weekend, but higher than its three-day box office total between Friday and Sunday ($145.5 million). The $183 million opening estimate also marks more than Disney’s last live-action remake, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” took in over the course of its entire theatrical run ($87 million).
Key Background
The record-breaking Memorial Day box office comes as movie theaters have been fighting over the past few years to regain audiences following the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced cinemas to temporarily shutter. Audiences became more accustomed to streaming movies at home, hurting moviegoing even after theaters reopened, and the industry was dealt another setback in 2023, when the Writer’s Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild both went on lengthy strikes. While more and more Americans are now returning to the movies, the domestic box office so far remains below pre-pandemic levels: Analysts cited by The Los Angeles Times project the 2025 domestic box office to gross between $9.2 billion to $9.5 billion, which would be an improvement over $8.7 billion in 2024, but still below the approximately $11 billion spent on moviegoing in 2018 and 2019.
Further Reading
