I’m really excited about the blockbuster hits that are already making waves at the box office ahead of the Memorial Day weekend! It looks like it’s going to be an epic long weekend for movie lovers like me.
Disney’s live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch” and Tom Cruise’s last “Mission: Impossible” film, produced by Paramount and Skydance, generated substantial earnings during their Thursday preview screenings.
Or, more colloquially:
Both Disney’s live-action version of “Lilo & Stitch” and the final “Mission: Impossible” movie starring Tom Cruise made a lot of money on its first night in theaters, thanks to their Thursday preview shows.
The animated film Lilo & Stitch brought in a staggering $14.5 million during previews, breaking the record for the highest preview gross of the year so far. This figure surpassed the previous Memorial Day records set by Disney’s live-action studio with titles like The Little Mermaid ($10.3 million) and Aladdin ($7 million), and even outperformed the Memorial Day opening of Solo: A Star Wars Story ($14.1 million). In the grand scheme of Disney’s film empire, it also outshone the Memorial Day entry of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Furthermore, it ranks as the seventh-highest preview gross for any PG title, surpassing even the recent animated blockbuster from Disney, Moana 2 ($13.8 million).
Three weeks ago, predictions estimated that “Lilo & Stitch” would debut with $120 million. However, it has now surpassed expectations, earning an impressive $165 million. This staggering box office revenue could potentially make “Lilo & Stich” the film with the highest opening on Memorial Day weekend, surpassing the current record holder, “Top Gun: Maverick,” which earned $160 million. Interestingly, this would be a reversal of fortune as “Lilo & Stitch” originally trailed behind Tom Cruise’s “Minority Report” when they were both released in June 2002. The latter film barely edged out the original animated “Lilo & Stitch” at the box office back then.
Stitch, the beloved character from the movie and TV show about a Hawaiian girl and her troublemaking alien pet, is drawing significant interest not only from families but also teenage girls and younger women, particularly Gen Z and young Millennials who grew up with this franchise. The nostalgia factor seems to be strong, similar to how it was for Disney’s live-action Aladdin, which grossed over $1.1 billion in worldwide ticket sales by appealing to families, teens, and younger adults. Rideback was the production company behind both Lilo & Stitch and 2019’s Aladdin.
Initially, the live-action version of “Lilo & Stitch” was planned for a direct release on Disney+, which accounts for its relatively low $100 million production budget. Currently, it has a Rotten Tomatoes critics rating of 72%. Interestingly, both “Lilo” and “M:I” currently boast an audience score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes as well.
The movie titled “Final Reckoning” broke its own preview record, earning an impressive $8.3 million, outperforming the previews of both “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” with $7 million and “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” with $6 million.
The movie, boasting an RT critics score of 80%, is predicted to comfortably surpass the modest opening of $54.7 million for “Dead Reckoning” and even outshine the $61.2 million three-day debut of “Fallout,” establishing a new franchise launch record with significant ease.
A significant hurdle for the financial success of “Final Reckoning” is its $400 million net budget (not including marketing costs), which makes it one of the priciest films ever produced. However, Paramount insiders point out that with each new installment, the overall value of their library increases, leading to an uptick in home entertainment sales and rentals for previous titles as well.
The pair of films is anticipated to break all records for Memorial Day ticket sales. Although the blend of these movies may not reach the same cultural impact as Barbenheimer did in July 2023, the power of their combination should not be underestimated (as for a title, how about “Stitchin: Impossible”?)
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2025-05-23 18:24