Lilo & Stitch Soars with $14.5M in Box Office Previews, While Mission: Impossible Breaks Records with $8.3M!

The Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to be a big one for the box office. Even before the holiday starts, Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch and Tom Cruise’s latest Mission: Impossible film are already making waves.

Lilo & Stitch kicked things off with an impressive $14.5 million in previews. This isn’t just a solid number; it’s the biggest preview gross of the year so far and a new record for any Disney live-action film during Memorial Day. It surpassed recent hits like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, and is now the seventh-largest preview for a PG film. Originally projected to open at $120 million, that estimate has now skyrocketed to $165 million. If this holds, Lilo & Stitch will become the top Memorial Day opener ever, even beating Cruise’s own Top Gun: Maverick.

Interestingly, nostalgia plays a big role in its draw. The film is resonating especially well with teenage girls and younger women. These viewers likely grew up watching the original movie and the TV show about a Hawaiian girl and her mischievous alien pet. According to box office experts, this trend mirrors the success of Disney’s previous live-action Aladdin, which earned over a billion dollars globally.

While Lilo & Stitch had plans to debut directly on Disney+, its $100 million production budget shows Disney’s confidence in theatrical success. Critics have given it a 72% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an audience score of 93%, reflecting strong viewer approval.

On the other hand, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One had a preview record of $8.3 million, outperforming its predecessors. Its current critics score stands at 80%, and it’s expected to bring in more than the previous film’s opening weekend total.

Despite its hefty $400 million budget, experts believe each new Mission: Impossible film adds value to the franchise, boosting home entertainment sales of earlier titles.

Together, these films are on track to create the highest Memorial Day sales ever. While they may not match the cultural impact of the Barbenheimer phenomenon from July 2023, the combination of these two blockbusters promises to be significant.

In terms of international appeal, Lilo & Stitch opened to $26.7 million across its initial markets, achieving the highest opening day in several countries, including China and Germany. As for Final Reckoning, the international numbers are still pending.

With all this buzz, it seems everyone is eager to see how these films perform, making this Memorial Day an exciting time for moviegoers.

For more on box office performances and trends, check out Box Office Mojo.

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