UPDATED: May 25, 2025, 08:07 EST by Brennan Klein
Lilo & Stitch Exceeds Expected $175-$180M, Mission: Impossible On Course for Series-Best Opening
This article was initially penned on Saturday morning and has been updated on Sunday morning to include the latest box office forecasts (highlighted in bold), a comprehensive chart, and additional insights.
The collective power of Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is breaking records over the Memorial Day weekend. Lilo & Stitch, a live-action rendition of the beloved 2002 Disney animation, portrays the story of a young girl named Lilo (Maia Kealoha) who befriends Stitch (Chris Sanders), a rambunctious alien who lands in Hawai’i after escaping captivity. On the other hand, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning carries forward the narrative from 2023’s Dead Reckoning, with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team attempting to thwart a rogue AI known as The Entity from causing global destruction.
According to Variety, by Sunday morning, Lilo & Stitch is forecasted to achieve a 3-day opening of $145.5 million and a 4-day holiday total of $183 million domestically, while Mission: Impossible targets a 3-day figure of $63 million and a 4-day total of $77 million. Lilo & Stitch is set to claim the highest Memorial Day weekend debut ever, surpassing the $126 million 3-day and $160.5 million 4-day totals of Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, a film that eventually amassed $1.496 billion globally.
By Monday’s end, Lilo & Stitch will have surpassed the entire North American gross of the original film, which totaled $145.8 million. Meanwhile, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has recorded the series’ best opening day at $24.8 million and is poised to set a new franchise record for the best opening weekend, outperforming Mission: Impossible – Fallout‘s $61 million debut.
The aggregate strength of these films, along with other current cinema offerings such as Final Destination Bloodlines, Thunderbolts*, and Sinners, is projected to bring in over $322 million for the domestic box office over the weekend, marking the most lucrative Memorial Day weekend ever, surpassing the $314.3 million garnered in 2013 by films like Fast & Furious 6, The Hangover Part III, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Iron Man 3. Below is a statement from Cinema United President & CEO Michael O’Leary:
Millions of moviegoers this holiday weekend have reaffirmed that visiting the cinema is a cherished American tradition. Beyond setting records, it’s evident that movie theaters serve as cultural and economic focal points in communities nationwide, offering a unique experience of communal engagement through film. This weekend heralds what is expected to be an outstanding summer for film enthusiasts everywhere.
See the complete domestic Top 5 chart for the holiday weekend below:
|
# |
Title |
3-Day Total |
4-Day Total |
Cumulative (Domestic) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Lilo & Stitch |
$145.5 million |
$183 million |
$183 million (weekend 1) |
|
2 |
||||
With the arrival of two major blockbusters, the prior weekend’s top three movies each dropped two positions. Despite a significant second-weekend decline of 63.2%—a common occurrence in the horror genre—Final Destination Bloodlines still managed to stay ahead of Marvel’s Thunderbolts and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.
The introduction of these new films has led to some older titles being pushed out of the top spots. In its fifth weekend, Ben Affleck’s action sequel The Accountant 2 slipped from fifth to ninth place. Meanwhile, the popular video game adaptation A Minecraft Movie moved from fourth to eighth in its eighth weekend. Given the current competitive landscape and upcoming blockbuster releases, it’s unlikely that either film will return to the top five in the near future.
The displacement of these films is due to the influx of new releases. The Angel Studios bull-riding drama The Last Rodeo is anticipated to debut at No. 6 with a 3-day tally of $5 million and a 4-day total of $6.4 million. Hot on its heels is the wide release of A24’s dark comedy Friendship, now showing in 1,055 theaters and expected to secure the seventh spot with a 3-day gross of $4 million and a 4-day yield of $5 million, bringing its cumulative domestic gross to $7.6 million.
Implications for Lilo & Stitch
Potential Billion-Dollar Success
The release of Lilo & Stitch is on a trajectory that could see it surpass $1 billion globally. In fact, maintaining its current lead over Top Gun: Maverick, it might even reach an astounding worldwide total of $1.7 billion or more. This potential is enhanced by the fact that international markets often show a stronger preference for nostalgic titles, especially those from more recent decades, as older films from the 1980s and earlier did not always receive extensive global distribution. This trend is exemplified by Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is the highest-grossing domestic film but only ranks fifth globally.
Top Gun: Maverick is the fifth highest-grossing film in North America and ranks 14th globally.
Even without surpassing the $1 billion mark, Lilo & Stitch would still be considered a major hit. The film’s production budget is reported to be $100 million, suggesting that its break-even point is likely around $250 million. With domestic earnings projected to nearly reach this figure by the end of the Memorial Day weekend alone, and with international debut figures still to come, it is almost certain that the film will have covered its costs globally within its first week, if not sooner.
Our Perspective on the Weekend Box Office
A Promising Start to the Summer Movie Season
This record-breaking Memorial Day weekend heralds an optimistic outlook for the upcoming summer. As Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning continue their successful runs, the calendar through the end of July will introduce at least one potential blockbuster every weekend, including titles like Superman, the live-action How to Train Your Dragon, Karate Kid: Legends, F1, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Ballerina, and 28 Years Later. If these films capitalize on the momentum of Memorial Day, this summer could continue setting significant box office records.
Ava Thornton is an entertainment journalist with a keen eye for the latest in Hollywood, indie films, and streaming trends.
Her work blends insider knowledge with a deep appreciation for storytelling.
