This Memorial Day weekend, movie theaters were absolutely buzzing, pulling in a jaw-dropping $322 million across North America from May 23-26, 2025. That’s enough to topple the previous record set back in 2013 by about $8 million, making this the biggest Memorial Day box office ever. Leading the charge were Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch and Paramount’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. These two heavyweights brought out families, action fans, and everyone in between, proving that movie theaters are back in a big way.
A Weekend for the History Books
Disney’s Lilo & Stitch stole the show, raking in $145.5 million over the three-day weekend and a massive $183 million through Monday. That’s bigger than Top Gun: Maverick’s $160.5 million Memorial Day haul in 2022, making it the second-biggest four-day holiday weekend opening ever, just behind Black Panther’s $242 million in 2018. With newcomer Maia Kealoha as Lilo and Chris Sanders back as the voice of Stitch, the film’s nostalgic vibe and heartwarming story clicked with audiences, earning a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s already close to matching the original 2002 animated film’s entire domestic run ($145.8 million) and is on track to sail past its $250 million break-even point globally in no time.
Not to be outdone, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning brought in $63 million over three days and about $77 million through Monday. Tom Cruise’s (maybe) final go as Ethan Hunt kicked off with a franchise-best opening day of $24.8 million, topping Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s $61 million weekend in 2018. It’s a high-octane send-off that had action fans glued to their seats, adding serious firepower to the weekend’s record-breaking total.
Something for Everyone
This weekend’s success feels like a throwback to those epic Memorial Day showdowns, like 2004 when Shrek 2 and The Day After Tomorrow ruled, or 2013’s packed lineup with Fast & Furious 6 and The Hangover Part III. Lilo & Stitch hooked families with its warm fuzzies, while Mission: Impossible delivered the adrenaline rush for action lovers. Toss in strong holdovers like Final Destination: Bloodlines ($24.5 million), Thunderbolts ($12 million), and Sinners ($11.2 million), and you’ve got a lineup that had something for everyone. No wonder theaters were packed!
Theaters Are Back, Baby
After a rough few years with the pandemic and the 2023 Hollywood strikes, this weekend was a much-needed win for theaters. The first few months of 2025 were shaky, with some big films like Captain America: Brave New World and Snow White underperforming, and the overall box office down 7% from last year. Compare that to 2024’s Memorial Day, which scraped together just $132 million—the worst in nearly 30 years—and 2025’s $322 million feels like a miracle. Michael O’Leary, head of Cinema United, summed it up perfectly: “This weekend showed that going to the movies is still a huge part of what we love to do. Theaters are where it’s at, no matter where you are.”
Summer’s Looking Hot
This Memorial Day blowout is just the start of what’s shaping up to be a killer summer movie season. With blockbusters like Superman, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and 28 Years Later on the horizon, analysts are predicting a $4.2 billion summer, topping 2023’s $4.03 billion “Barbenheimer” haul and 2024’s $3.6 billion. The one-two punch of Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible shows that people are still craving the big-screen experience, and theaters are ready to deliver.
Wrapping It Up
Memorial Day 2025 was a game-changer, with Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning powering a record-smashing $322 million weekend. It’s proof that when you give audiences a mix of heart, action, and spectacle, they’ll show up in droves. As we head into summer, the box office is heating up, and movie theaters are ready to keep the good times rolling.
Source: Variety