The box office landscape has been completely transformed. Owing to the incredible success of Lilo & Stitch, that film has now overtaken Sinners to become the second highest-grossing film of 2025. This development marks a major milestone during a record-breaking Memorial Day weekend, where both “Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning” emerged as dominant forces at the box office.
“Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning” led the charge, earning an impressive $27.3 million from 3,861 locations over the extended holiday weekend. Beyond winning mainstream and critical acclaim in the U.S., this film has taken in an impressive $353.8 million worldwide. Furthermore, its international grosses were stellar at $76.1 million. Of that total, China accounted for an incredible $25.2 million, the highest-grossing movie in the franchise without adjusting for inflation.
“Lilo & Stitch” has gotten off to a robust start, although exact numbers have not been released. Its strong performance was responsible for a good portion of the overall success of the weekend. It flew past “Sinners,” which went on to $5.2 million and currently has a $267.1 million domestic total. With a worldwide gross of $350.1 mil, “Sinners” has recently taken over third place in the year’s box office rankings.
The weekend also saw the debut of “Karate Kid: Legends,” which opened with $21 million. This little indie film, which was shot in 19 days with a $12 million budget, has since grossed over $47 million globally. Meanwhile, “Final Destination: Bloodlines” continued to maintain its presence in theaters, earning $10.8 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to $280.1 million.
➤ Even with a production budget of $45 million, “Bring Her Back” only grossed $7.1 million off of 2,449 screens, a rough start for this new release in the crowded market.
Industry analyst Paul Dergarabedian underscored the importance of sustained audience interest rather than just opening weekend grosses.
“The currency of word of mouth and the strong hold is more important than opening weekend dollars.” – Paul Dergarabedian
This longing for home dovetails perfectly with the success of “Lilo & Stitch.” The movie will be setting itself up to succeed through strong word-of-mouth audience reaction, all but assuring its lasting popularity and box office longevity.
Dergarabedian cautioned that 2025 will be focused more on box office “staying power,” or longer runs. …not simply the raw strength of opening figures, though consistency matters.
“This is the year of longterm playability.” – Paul Dergarabedian
Every one of the films mentioned above is in active, aggressive competition for your audience’s attention. It’s obvious that the Memorial Day weekend has launched a thrilling summer season of cinema, as well. With “Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning” leading the pack and “Lilo & Stitch” catching up quickly, viewers can anticipate a thrilling competition among these cinematic giants.
