Cinema-goers across America have flocked to the silver screen this Memorial Day weekend, setting a new box office record with an estimated $322million in domestic ticket sales.
The impressive haul surpasses the previous record of $314million set in 2013, according to studio estimates reported yesterday.
Disney’s live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch” dominated the holiday weekend, raking in a staggering $183million through Monday.
This remarkable performance not only secured the film’s position at the top of the weekend charts but also positioned it to earn more in its opening weekend than the original animated film’s entire theatrical run of $145.8million in 2003.
The strong showing comes as welcome news for the cinema industry, which has been working to rebuild audience numbers following pandemic-related disruptions.
“Lilo & Stitch” has now claimed the title of highest Memorial Day weekend opener of all time, overtaking “Top Gun: Maverick” which earned $126 million during its 2022 debut. The film’s performance places it among Disney’s most successful live-action remakes.
The Hawaiian adventure trails only behind 2019’s “The Lion King,” which opened to $191.7million across three days. While “Beauty and the Beast” took in $174.8million during its three-day opening in 2017, “Lilo & Stitch” has surpassed this figure with its full four-day holiday weekend total.
The remake’s $183million haul also dwarfs Disney’s previous live-action effort, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” which earned just $87million during its entire theatrical run.
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Tom Cruise’s “Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning” secured second place with an estimated $77million through Monday, marking the highest-grossing opening for any film in the franchise’s history.
Horror sequel “Final Destination: Bloodlines” claimed the third spot with projected earnings of $24million across the four-day weekend, followed by “Thunderbolts,” “Sinners” and “The Last Rodeo.”
This record-breaking performance stands in stark contrast to last year’s Memorial Day weekend, which was the worst in more than two decades, excluding 2020.
The 2024 holiday weekend generated just $132million in total, with underwhelming performances from films like “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “The Garfield Movie.”
The dramatic year-on-year improvement demonstrates a significant shift in audience willingness to return to cinemas for the right content.
The record-breaking weekend has industry experts optimistic about the summer box office season ahead.
Analysts cited by The Los Angeles Times believe the strong Memorial Day performance, coupled with higher spring attendance, signals potentially robust revenues throughout the traditionally busy summer months.
Moviegoers can look forward to several anticipated releases including “Karate Kid: Legends,” a live-action “How to Train Your Dragon,” Disney/Pixar’s “Elio,” “John Wick” spinoff “Ballerina,” “Jurassic World Rebirth,” a new “Superman” film and Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
Despite the positive trajectory, the cinema industry continues its post-pandemic recovery.
Analysts project the 2025 domestic box office to gross between $9.2billion and $9.5billion, improving on 2024’s $8.7 billion but still below the approximately $11billion spent in 2018 and 2019 before the pandemic disrupted viewing habits.
