While the expression “Records are Made to be Broken” is most often used with sports, it can also apply to milestones at the box office. Usually, when a new record is set, it surpasses the previous one by a thin margin. Not so this weekend, powered by a blockbuster performance from Disney’s LILO & STITCH, which earned $145.5M in its first three days.
Its impact was amplified by the franchise-record opening of Paramount’s MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING, which flew high with $63.0M of its own. These two mega-openings boosted the domestic total for all films to $262.0M, which was a stunning 48% more than the previous record for Memorial Day weekend, set in 2022 when TOP GUN: MAVERICK, another Tom Cruise movie, led all films to a three-day total of $177.2M and four-days of $223.4M. TOP GUN: MAVERICK by itself brought in $126.7M on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and $160.5M including sales on the Monday holiday.
This weekend’s one-two punch is reminiscent of BARBENHEIMER, the last high-profile double movie opening from July 21-23, 2023. For those three days, BARBIE opened with $162.0M and OPPENHEIMER earned $82.5M for a combined total of $244.5M for the two films. Last year’s Memorial Day weekend total of $101.8M was the lowest in decades.
We’re on a roll in this year’s Q2, with seven of the eight weekends so far in the quarter having exceeded the corresponding weekends from 2024. Through today, the quarter has produced $1.578B compared to $849.7M last year at this same time, amounting to a powerful 86% rise in box office results. The 2025 year-to-date numbers are up 21% compared to last year.
Disney’s LILO & STITCH is a live-action remake and reimagining of the 2002 animated feature LILO & STITCH, which opened with $35.3M and went on to earn $145.8M domestic and $273.1M worldwide. The box office for this year’s version has already almost surpassed that earned by the 2002 original in its entire theatrical run. The new film was directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, known for MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from 2022, bringing his unique perspective to the project.
The story centers on Lilo Pelekai, a spirited six-year-old Hawaiian girl coping with the loss of her parents and the challenge of fitting into her world. Her older sister, Nani, struggles to take care of Lilo amidst mounting pressures. When an extraterrestrial is mistaken for a dog at a local shelter, Lilo adopts him, naming him Stitch, unaware of his otherworldly origins.
As Stitch becomes part of their family, his chaotic nature threatens Nani’s efforts to keep everyone together. Maia Kealoha makes her major film debut as Lilo, and is joined by veteran actors Zach Galifianakis, Courtney B. Vance ,and Tia Carrere. Chris Sanders is the voice of Stitch, reprises his role from the original movie.
Most critics have weighed in with positive reviews, giving a Rotten Tomatoes score of 68% fresh, while moviegoers have been downright enthusiastic with an audience score of 94%. The Washington Post describes the film as a visually enhanced yet narratively faithful retelling of the original story. While praising the performances of Maia Kealoha (Lilo) and Sydney Elizebeth Agudong (Nani), the review notes that the remake lacks the emotional depth and subtle social commentary of the original.
Entertainment Weekly reviewed the film as a “whimsical, heartfelt upgrade” to the 2002 animated classic. The film remains faithful to the original’s core themes of found family, grief, and healing, while deepening the emotional resonance of Lilo and Nani’s story.
Variety noted that the adaptation brings new life to the story with fresh takes on beloved characters, aiming to capture the essence of the original while introducing unique twists. As always, not every review is positive, as the Associated Press describes the remake as “sweet but ultimately unnecessary,” pointing out that it adds excessive Hollywood flair without offering significant novelty.
Director Camp has done well to create a good movie on a production budget of only $60M, restrained by the standard of major studio releases. Disney’s last two live-action features based on animated classics were last year’s MUFASA: THE LION KING, which cost $200M, and this year’s SNOW WHITE, which took $250M. Because it has a much lower production cost, LILO & STITCH needed only $150M in worldwide box office to make a profit, and it has already exceeded that amount in its opening weekend.
Here is a quick comparison of the box office between the two LILO & STITCH movies. Because of the large gap in time between their releases, we are also providing inflation-adjusted numbers for the 2002 amount. As an additional data point, we have listed totals for last year’s INSIDE OUT 2, which is the highest-grossing animated film of all time. As of now, LILO & STITCH and INSIDE OUT 2 have started with comparable opening weekends, and Disney execs can only hope that LILO & STITCH will keep pace with last year’s box office champ.
LILO & STITCH (2002), LILO & STITCH (2025), and INSIDE OUT 2 (2024)
- LILO & STITCH (5/23/2025) – Domestic Opening $145.5M (4,420 locations), Budget $60M, RT Critics/Audience 68%/94%
- LILO & STITCH (6/21/2002) – Domestic Opening $35.3M/$62.9M* (3,191 locations), Domestic Total $145.8M/$260.0M*, Worldwide Total $273.1M/$487.0M*, Budget $80M/$159M*, RT Critics/Audience 86%/78%
- INSIDE OUT 2 (6/14/2024) – Domestic Opening $154.2M (4,440 locations), Domestic Total $653.0M, Worldwide Total $1.699B, Budget $200M, RT Critics/Audience 91%/95%
* 2002 numbers adjusted for inflation
Paramount’s action sequel MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING opened in a strong second place with $63.0M in its first three days. This sets a new record for the opening weekend box office among the eight movies in the iconic series, passing MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT’s $61.2M debut in 2018.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE is one of the most successful movie franchises of all time, with the first seven films earning $1.332B domestic and $3.994B worldwide. The franchise’s success can be largely attributed to the appeal of Tom Cruise, both in domestic and international markets, where 66% of the total gross for the series has been generated.
Cruise is known for taking a “hands-on” approach to making these films, especially when it comes to insisting on performing his stunts. He’s back at it again, taking on several extremely dangerous stunts. These include hanging on the wing of a biplane in flight and performing a plane-to-plane jump, as well as taking a run at reclaiming his record for the longest underwater breath-hold on film as he traverses a sunken submarine.
The film is directed by Cruise’s longtime collaborator and friend Christopher McQuarrie, who has directed four of the eight MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movies. Cruise is also joined on screen by several familiar faces from the earlier movies, including Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett.
The plot picks up where the most recent chapter, DEAD RECKONING, left off. Ethan Hunt and his IMF team continue in their mission to stop a rogue AI called “The Entity” from seizing global nuclear control. In their pursuit, they descend to a sunken Russian submarine which houses the AI’s source code. With allies Grace, Benji, and others, Ethan retrieves the code and traps The Entity using a device crafted by the late Luther.
Though marketed as the last movie in the franchise, the ending leaves room for a potential future installment. At last week’s New York premiere of THE FINAL RECKONING, the 62-year-old Cruise said he would like to continue making movies into his 100s. Wouldn’t we all! However, he also noted that “THE FINAL” is part of this movie title for a reason.
Most people who have seen the movie have been impressed, registering a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 80% and an audience grade of 90%. Vocal Media described the film as “a spectacular, emotional, and explosive farewell,” praising its blend of high-stakes action and emotional depth. The review highlighted Tom Cruise’s performance as Ethan Hunt, noting his fearless physicality and the film’s exploration of legacy and humanity.
Entertainment Weekly highlighted the film’s callbacks to earlier installments, including the return of the Rabbit’s Foot and characters like William Donloe, which enhance the sense of continuity within the franchise and closure. Business Insider acknowledged the film’s dramatic and action-packed nature while also pointing out narrative choices that leave room for potential future installments. Not every publication thought highly of the film.
RogerEbert.com criticized the first hour as “repetitive and pretentious to the point of parody,” labeling it “the worst segment in the entire franchise.” Nonetheless, it must be acknowledged that the action sequences were compelling enough to overshadow the film’s shortcomings.
Finally, the Houston Chronicle took a very negative view and described the film as a “disappointing installment,” remarking that it amounts to “nearly three hours of your life that you will never get back”. We think the film’s record-setting opening and strong response from audiences will drown out the occasional negative review.
Despite its record-setting opening, this movie has a tall mountain to climb to achieve profitability after $400M was spent on its production. It is one of the most expensive movies in Hollywood history, in a league with STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS with its $533M budget in 2015, and JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM with its $432M budget in 2018. It will take $1B in global sales for THE FINAL RECKONING to reach profitability.
Consider the fact that the top-earning film in the franchise was MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, and it earned $824.2M in 2018. Only one Tom Cruise film has ever grossed over one billion dollars, and that was TOP GUN: MAVERICK, which earned $1.5B in 2022.
This expensive price tag is not entirely due to a “runaway production” mindset. Several additional factors conspired to run up the cost, including the fact that filming commenced in March 2022 but was beset by multiple delays, including a significant stoppage during the 2023 strikes by Hollywood’s writers and actors. Production resumed in March of 2024 and concluded in November 2024.
In addition, Tom Cruise’s commitment to performing his stunts necessitated elaborate and costly setups, including a finicky and malfunctioning $25 million submarine used during filming. Finally, the movie was shot in various international locations, including the United Kingdom, Malta, South Africa, and Norway, adding to logistical expenses.
As with a James Bond movie, part of the allure of the film is the globetrotting nature of the main character. Here is how the film compares to the highest-grossing MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE to date and Cruise’s personal best, TOP GUN: MAVERICK.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (2025), MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT (2018), and TOP GUN: MAVERICK (2022)
- MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (5/23/2025) – Domestic Opening $63.0M (3,857 locations), Production Budget $400M, RT Critics/Audience 80%/90%
- MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT (7/27/2018) – Domestic Opening $61.2M (4,386 locations), Domestic Total $220.2M, Worldwide Total $824.2M, Production Budget $178M, RT Critics/Audience 98%/89%
- TOP GUN: MAVERICK (5/27/2022) – Domestic Opening $126.7M (4,735 locations), Domestic Total $718.7M, Worldwide Total $1.496B, Production Budget $170M, RT Critics/Audience 96%/99%
The third-place finisher this weekend was the Warner Bros. horror film FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES, which earned $19.7M in its second weekend, dropping 62% from last week’s opening. After 10 days, the film’s total box office stands at $89.8M domestic and $187.1M worldwide. It is now the highest-grossing FINAL DESTINATION film among the six movies in the franchise.
While THE FINAL DESTINATION earned $186.2M in 2009, that amount would amount to $278.4M in inflation-adjusted numbers, and this total may be out of reach for BLOODLINES. That said, the current entry will wind up being very profitable, as all movies in the franchise have been. We expect that there will be future chapters to showcase even more creative ways to kill someone.
FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES (2025) versus THE FINAL DESTINATION (2009)
- FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES (5/16/2025) – Domestic Opening $51.0M (3,523 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $19.7M (-62%), Domestic 10-Day $89.8M, Budget $50M, RT Critics/Audience 92%/88%
- THE FINAL DESTINATION (8/28/2009) – Domestic Opening $27.4M/$41.0M* (3,121 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $12.4M/18.5M* (-55%), Domestic Total $66.4M/$99.3M*, Worldwide Total $186.2M/$278.4M*, Budget $40M/$59.8M*, RT Critics/Audience 28%/35%
Disney THUNDERBOLTS* landed in fourth place with a total of $9.2M in its fourth weekend, a drop of 45% from last weekend’s results. This brings the total for the anti-hero MCU movie to $171.4M domestic and $353.1M worldwide after 24 days in theatres. While Disney may have been a little preoccupied this weekend with counting up their earnings from LILO & STITCH, they may also have realized that THUNDERBOLTS* is not going to make a profit, which would have required at least $450M in global ticket sales.
The shortfall does not come from poor sales in the U.S. and Canada, but rather from weakness in international territories, which have only contributed 50% of the movie’s overall sales. By comparison, the MCU movie THOR in 2011 earned 60% of its box office overseas. Disney moves on to the stage where it can make up some of this deficit through Video-On-Demand purchases and its eventual availability on Disney+.
THUNDERBOLTS* (2025) versus THOR (2011)
- THUNDERBOLTS* (5/2/2025) – Domestic Opening $76.0M (4,330 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $33.1M (-55%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $16.5M (-49%), Domestic 4th Weekend $9.2M (-45%), Domestic 24-day $171.4M, Budget $180M, RT Critics/Audience 88%/94%
- THOR (5/6/2011) – Domestic Opening $65.7M (3,955 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $34.7M (-47%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $15.5M (-56%), Domestic 4th Weekend $9.5M (-39%), Domestic 24-day $159.9M, Domestic Total $181.0M, Worldwide Total $449.3M, Budget $150M, RT Critics/Audience 77%/76%
Warner Bros.’ horror film SINNERS dropped into fifth place with still-impressive three-day sales of $8.8M in its sixth weekend, a decline of 42% from last weekend. Ryan Coogler’s original movie continues its amazing run with a 45-day total of domestic $256.6M and $339.0M worldwide.
Its ratio of worldwide box office to production budget is an impressive 3.8 to 1, making it very profitable for its backers. SINNERS is now the top domestic-grossing horror film of the post-pandemic era and is working its way to the top of the box office chart for horror movies, now in third place in domestic sales behind JAWS which earned $274M starting in 1979 and IT which earned $329M starting in 2017. Here is a comparison with IT.
SINNERS (2025) versus IT (2017)
- SINNERS (4/25/2025) – Domestic Opening $48.0M (3,308 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $45.0M (-6%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $33.0M (-28%), Domestic 4th Weekend $21.1M (-36%), Domestic 5th Weekend $15.4M (-30%), Domestic 6th Weekend $8.8M (-42%), Domestic 45-day $256.6M, Budget $90M, RT Critics/Audience 97%/96%
- IT (9/6/2017) – Domestic Opening $123.4M (4,103 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $60.1M (-51%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $29.8M (-51%), Domestic 4th Weekend $16.9M (-45%), Domestic 5th Weekend $10.0M (-41%), Domestic 6th Weekend $6.1M (-39%), Domestic 45-day $314.9M, Domestic Total $328.9M, Worldwide Total $702.8M, Budget $35M, RT Critics/Audience 85%/84%
Where Are We as of May 22nd?
After the 20th week of 2025, the domestic box office stands at 116% compared to 2024 and 66% compared to 2019. This year’s numbers will shoot up next weekend after factoring in the success of this weekend’s Memorial Day totals.
