LILO & STITCH | MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING | THE LAST RODEO openings | May 23 to 25, 2025 Memorial Day Weekend
Opening weekend box office, charts and commentary.
The current weekend: May 23 to 25, 2025 Memorial Day Weekend in the U.S.
1) Lilo & Stitch opening
- This is a sensational opening. The 3-day weekend figure ranks #5 among Disney animation and family episode 2s, and #3 among live-action remakes. Disney dominates these categories; only Despicable Me 2 (Illumination, $970.8 million worldwide) and Shrek 2 (DreamWorks, $928.8m) are in the top-10.
This is another production that was originally envisioned for streaming before moving to theaters. The est. production cost was a very reasonable $100 million.
- It’s a crowd-pleaser and the audience score is outstanding (an A CinemaScore). On average, Disney opens these episodes +71% better than the first film — that’s superb. And they invented live-action remakes to begin with:
- As good as this is, several remakes in recent years have missed. The current Snow White is finishing with around $210 million worldwide — that's weak, and there were others before that (Cruella, Mary Poppins).
With Lilo & Stitch and Snow White, Disney’s last 5 releases include Inside Out 2 ($1.7 billion total worldwide), Moana 2 ($1.06 billion), and Mufasa: The Lion King ($722.6 million). 4 out of 5 are juggernauts — that’s awfully good.
Live-action remakes of animated films
- The economics of live-action remakes have changed. Currently, here is what we think works and doesn't work in retelling an animation story in live-action:
Works: Placing animated animals and fantasy creatures in a live-action setting. It’s a hybrid combination that opens up the visual storytelling, stretches the imagination, and makes the spectacle bigger and funnier;
Works: Giving action characters and stories an original, animation treatment (Spider-Verse). Like good Japanese action anime (moody and impressionistic), the retelling expands the scope, intensity, and experience of the original;
Across the Spider-Verse No longer works: Bringing beloved fairy tales and heroines to live-action. The heroines become smaller characters. The emotional range is narrower and less expressive. There’s not as much fantasy, and that reduces the story.
- The live-action version of Tangled was recently cancelled. How could anyone tell that story better in live-action? A live-action Moana is coming in July 2026 — we’ll see.
2) Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning opening
- This is an excellent domestic opening for a late episode action thriller, at above average levels for the genre. We count only 5 action thriller series that have generated 8 episodes — that’s elite company. Pending final numbers, this is a M:I series high by a slight margin (#6 opened to $61.2m in July 2018).
Critics' reviews and audience ratings are excellent (an A- CinemaScore). The M:I movies are terrific performers overseas, averaging 68.9% of their total BO from foreign markets — that's their strength, led by Tom Cruise:
- Production of Final Reckoning started in 2022 and was interrupted by the pandemic and labor strikes. With the long delays, the cost of the movie rose to as much as $400 million. A number of productions faced the same problem during the pandemic.
With this opening, and with excellent business overseas plus outstanding ancillary value, the picture is going to make a lot of money, but the costs are enormous and it'll be lucky to break-even. The delays were uncontrollable and unfortunate.
3) The Last Rodeo opening
- This is a good domestic opening for an inspirational drama. The weekend figure is just above average for the genre. These are small, inexpensive movies (this one cost under $10 million). They make very little money overseas — it's part of the equation.
Critics' reviews are good, but the audience score is what counts and it's great (an A CinemaScore). The distributor, Angel Studios, knows how to stay connected to their loyal audience and bring them out:
- The story is about a retired rodeo star who enters a bull riding competition to raise money for his grandson’s medical expenses. Confronting his past and overcoming his fears, the journey teaches him about courage, faith and family.
Where we are now
- The total weekend BO is breaking Memorial Day records. The industry is doing what it does best, offering something for every taste: a family fantasy comedy, an action thriller, an inspirational drama, two horror films, and a Marvel superhero story.
Comparisons to last year and to pre-pandemic business will get harder from here. Mid-June is when 2024 went on a big run. In early July, Jurassic World and Superman will give the BO another shot of momentum.
- On Wednesday we'll update family moviegoing. 2025 family titles include Minecraft, Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, Elio, The Bad Guys, Animal Friends, Zootopia and SpongeBob, et al. This part of the business is healthy and thriving — it's great to see.
Our last two posts were:
THE WEDNESDAY CHARTS | New film franchises, re-stocking the lineup from 2017 to 2025 | May 21, 2025 here
FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES | HURRY UP TOMORROW openings | Horror genre snapshot | Where we are now | May 16 to 18, 2025 weekend here