Movies

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

Two blockbusters make box office history together.

Lilo and Stitch box office opening weekend

The one-two punch of Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning helped fuel a record-breaking weekend at the box office. According to Deadline, all of the titles currently playing in theaters are expected to gross a combined $322+ million domestically, which would be the biggest Memorial Day haul of all time. The previous mark was set back in 2013, when the films earned $314.3 million collectively. Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch remake leads the pack with an estimated four-day debut between $175-180 million. Mission: Impossible comes in a distant second with a projected $77 million over the holiday frame.

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Last week’s box office champion, Final Destination Bloodlines, is projected to fall to third this weekend with $24 million over the four-day weekend. Rounding out the top five should be Thunderbolts* ($11.5 million) and Sinners ($11 million).

Lilo & Stitch became the latest 2025 release to exceed early estimates. Initial box office projections that came out a few weeks before its debut pegged the film for $120 million domestically. It was able to be a much bigger draw thanks to positive word of mouth. Lilo & Stitch scored some of the best reviews for a Disney live-action remake in quite some time. The film was also able to capitalize on nostalgia for the original 2002 animated classic.

Even before the full weekend estimates came in, both Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning were rewriting box office history books. The two titles set records during their preview screenings that took place on Thursday, May 22nd. The Final Reckoning established a new franchise high, while Lilo & Stitch had Disney’s highest-grossing preview night over Memorial Day weekend.

If these projections hold (there’s always a chance the numbers fluctuate over the next couple days), Lilo & Stitch will already rank as one of the year’s highest-grossing films. By the end of this weekend, Marvel’s Thunderbolts* is estimated to earn $173.7 million total at the domestic box office. Lilo & Stitch is poised to top that figure in just four days. After the disappointments of Captain America: Brave New World and Snow White, Disney has a lot to celebrate over the holiday. Lilo & Stitch gives the studio a much-needed success, one that should be able to hold well for the next few weeks. There isn’t a new high-profile family film releasing until How to Train Your Dragon in mid-June.

As for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the current estimates are a little lower than what was initially reported. A few weeks ago, projections had it pegged for $80 million over the weekend. While $77 million is still within that ballpark, it makes it that much harder for The Final Reckoning to climb its way to profitability. The action sequel is budgeted somewhere between $300-400 million, meaning it needs very strong legs in order for Paramount to recoup its investment. Hopefully, the film can get a boost from the positive reviews of its own and help the Mission: Impossible franchise bounce back from Dead Reckoning‘s underwhelming grosses.