High-Grossing Movies Equal Success Over Memorial Day Weekend: Mission: Impossible and Lilo & Stitch Lead the Pack
Hey there! This Memorial Day weekend, two blockbusters are taking the cinematic world by storm - Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning and Lilo & Stitch.
According to Variety, these films have set a new benchmark, marking the "largest Memorial Day holiday in history" with a collective $341.7 million worldwide earnings. Lilo, originally projected to perform modestly, has surpassed expectations, her current domestic take of $145.5 million even beating Top Gun: Maverick's (2022) $160 million spread over all four days. Domestically, it ranks second only to Black Panther's Presidents Day 2018 earnings of $242 million. By the end of the four-day weekend, Lilo is expected to gross $183 million, making it one of Disney's biggest live-action remake debuts, trailing behind 2019's The Lion King and 2017's Beauty & the Beast at $191 million and $174 million respectively.
Meanwhile, Final Reckoning opened to $190 million worldwide, with $127 million coming from its international audience due to its early release in territories like Australia and South Korea. By the weekend's end, its domestic take of $63 million could potentially reach $77 million, breaking the Mission: Impossible series' record. Both films have garnered positive critical and audience responses, encouraged by growing anticipation leading up to their releases. The nostalgia factor also plays a significant role - Lilo is based on the classic 23-year-old Disney film, while Reckoning could potentially be the last film in the series, or the last to star Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt.
In addition to these two heavyweights, other releases like Final Destination Bloodlines, Sinners, and Thunderbolts have been drawing crowds to the theaters. According to Variety, such strong attendance during Memorial Day weekend hasn't been seen in over a decade, and it's a marked improvement from 2024's weaker showings of Furiosa and Garfield. As we head towards summer, movie enthusiasts can look forward to Ballerina, How to Train Your Dragon, and 28 Years Later in June, followed by Superman and Fantastic Four in July.
So, folks, whether you're into action-packed thrillers or heartwarming animations, there's something for everyone this season! Share your thoughts on Mission: Impossible and Lilo & Stitch in the comments below.
Want more updates? Check out the latest news on Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, the future of the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the evolving landscape of Doctor Who.
- The success of Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning and Lilo & Stitch is not only stirring conversations on various entertainment platforms like Gizmodo and io9, but it's also setting new records for Memorial Day weekend earnings.
- Movies-and-TV reported that the strong turnout this Memorial Day weekend, with Lilo claiming the second-highest domestic earnings for a live-action remake debut, signals a brighter future for the movie industry, surpassing even the performance of 2024's weaker releases like Furiosa and Garfield.
- With the influence of technology, entertainment enthusiasts can stay updated on upcoming movies such as Ballerina, How to Train Your Dragon, 28 Years Later, Superman, and Fantastic Four by following news outlets like io9 and Gizmodo, taking a sneak peek into the future of cinema.
