Washington: The Memorial Day weekend box office soared as Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch and Mission Impossible—The Final Reckoning earned $494.2 million worldwide. Released over the Sunday holiday weekend, the two films brought in $208.5 million in the U.S. and Canada alone, marking a record-breaking kickoff to the summer movie season.
Lilo & Stitch, a remake of Disney's 2002 animated hit, earned $304.2 million globally, including $145.5 million from domestic sales.
According to Comscore, the family-friendly film beat the Memorial Day weekend opening record set by Top Gun: Maverick in 2022. Disney reported that it now ranks among the top-performing remakes, trailing only 2019's The Lion King and 2017's Beauty and the Beast.
The film's strong showing supports a franchise that generated $2.6 billion in consumer product sales last year and racked up over half a billion hours of viewing on Disney+.
Meanwhile, Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning earned $190 million globally, including $63 million in North America. Tom Cruise returned as Ethan Hunt in what is being billed as the franchise's final chapter.
According to Chris Aronson, head of domestic theatrical distribution for Paramount Pictures, the film outperformed the series' previous top earner, Fallout. To draw in audiences, Paramount launched a global marketing campaign featuring Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie.
The film attracted many viewers aged 18 to 34, a shift from the series' typically older demographic.
This strong box office weekend offers theaters a much-needed boost after a weak March when ticket sales dropped by 45% compared to the previous year. Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at Comscore, said the success could signal a rebound for the summer movie season.
Upcoming films such as Ballerina, How to Train Your Dragon and Jurassic World Rebirth are expected to build on this momentum.
The holiday box office marks a hopeful turning point for Hollywood, recovering from the 2023 strikes that delayed many productions. Although 2024's ticket sales are up 21% year-over-year, they remain nearly 29% below pre-pandemic levels.
This weekend's results may help close that gap and reignite confidence in theatrical releases.
