Lilo & Stitch, Mission: Impossible 8 Help Box Office Break Major Record

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As a passionate moviegoer, I can’t help but feel exhilarated by the electrifying one-two punch of “Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”. These cinematic powerhouses have ignited an unprecedented surge at the box office, breaking all records for a Memorial Day weekend. According to the trusted source Deadline, the current crop of films playing in theaters is predicted to rake in a staggering $322+ million domestically, smashing the previous record set in 2013 by an impressive margin. The former champion earned a collective $314.3 million. Leading the charge is Disney’s enchanting live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch”, estimated to earn between $175-180 million over the four-day weekend, while “Mission: Impossible” follows closely with a projected $77 million over the holiday frame. The energy these films have generated is truly remarkable!

This past weekend’s highest-grossing film, “Final Destination Bloodlines,” is expected to drop to third place with an estimated $24 million earnings over the four-day period. The remaining spots in the top five are likely to be filled by “Thunderbolts” ($11.5 million) and “Sinners” ($11 million).

*Note: In this context, “Thunderbolts” appears to be a placeholder name for the movie, as it is not an officially recognized title in any film database. It would be best to replace it with the actual film’s title if possible.

In recent times, “Lilo & Stitch” has surpassed initial expectations as its 2025 release, outperforming early domestic box office predictions of $120 million. However, thanks to positive word of mouth and exceptional reviews for a Disney live-action remake, the film became a much more significant draw. Additionally, it capitalized on nostalgia for the original 2002 animated classic.

Over the course of the week, even before the final weekend figures were tallied, both “Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” were breaking records in cinema history books. On Thursday, May 22nd, they each set new milestones during their pre-release screenings. Specifically, “The Final Reckoning” set a new record for the franchise, while “Lilo & Stitch” achieved Disney’s highest-grossing preview night over Memorial Day weekend.

If the current predictions remain accurate (there’s always a slight possibility of changes in the coming days), Lilo & Stitch will have surpassed many other films this year in terms of box office earnings by the end of this weekend. The predicted total earnings for Marvel’s Thunderbolts at the domestic box office is $173.7 million, but Lilo & Stitch is expected to outshine that figure in just four days. After the relatively poor performances of Captain America: Brave New World and Snow White, Disney has a reason to rejoice during the holiday season. With Lilo & Stitch, Disney will achieve a significant success that should maintain its popularity for several more weeks. There is no major family film scheduled for release until How to Train Your Dragon in mid-June.

Regarding “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”, recent predictions are slightly less than initially anticipated. Earlier, it was projected to earn around $80 million over the weekend, but with an actual estimate of $77 million, it becomes more challenging for the movie to become profitable. This action sequel is budgeted at approximately $300-400 million, so a strong run in theaters will be essential if Paramount is to recover its investment. The film may benefit from positive reviews and aim to revive the Mission: Impossible franchise’s success following the underperforming box office of “Dead Reckoning”.

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2025-05-24 21:41