First there was “Barbenheimer,” now there’s…”Mission: Stitchpossible”? Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” and Paramount’s last “Mission: Impossible” movie “The Final Reckoning” are combining for a huge Memorial Day Weekend at the box office.
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” has made $8.3 million at the box office in previews so far, while the numbers for “Lilo & Stitch” will come in later this morning. “The Final Reckoning’s” preview haul is the franchise’s best ever, beating the $7 million that “Dead Reckoning” made in 2023.
Disney’s latest live-action remake is expected to rule the box office with a massive $150 million to $160 million over the four-day holiday weekend, though some projections are even higher. Tom Cruise’s eighth and seemingly last “Mission: Impossible” entry is on track to make $75 million to $85 million for a strong second place. Combined with stellar holdover performances from Warner Bros.’ “Final Destination Bloodlines” and “Sinners,” the Memorial Day box office could hit a record high. The mark to beat is 2013’s holiday weekend, which made a grand total of $306 million, thanks to “Fast & Furious 6,” “The Hangover Part III” and “Star Trek Into Darkness.” It will be a huge rebound from last year’s Memorial Day, which suffered its lowest frame in 30 years, including “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” opening at No. 1 with $32 million and “Garfield” close behind with $31.1 million.
“Lilo & Stitch” is projected to make another $125 million at the international box office, bringing its worldwide opening to an impressive $275 million to $285 million. It cost $100 million to produce, plus around $100 million more to promote, so the new take on Disney’s adorable extraterrestrial should go down as one of the highest opening for a live-action remake. “The Lion King” made $191 million in 2019, and 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” opened to $174 million.
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” carries a breath-taking price tag of $400 million, one of the most expensive movies of all time, due to filming during the pandemic, two Hollywood strikes and inflation increases. It’s on track to add $125 million to $130 million internationally for a worldwide opening above $200 million, but it’ll need to surpass the $791 million worldwide gross of “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” the highest-earning entry in the action series, to justify its price tag.
