It was a big weekend for the box office, with two major studio releases arriving in theaters and scoring very impressive debuts both domestically and overseas.
Disney's latest live-action remake, Lilo and Stitch, ended up breaking the record for biggest Memorial Day opening weekend ever with a massive $145.5 million, and an estimated $183 million through Monday (we'll update with exact figures later today).
The family-friendly adventure, which received so-so reviews (68% on Rotten Tomatoes), now sits at $341.7 million worldwide, and looks set to be one of the Mouse House's biggest hits in quite some time.
Paramount’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, meanwhile, earned a franchise-best $63 million from US theaters, adding another $127 million overseas for a worldwide total of $190 million. A strong start, but this last(?) MI movie is going to need to continue packing those seats for weeks to come if it hopes to justify its staggering $400 million production budget.
Warner Bros. and New Line's Final Destination: Bloodlines claimed third place with $19 million. The horror revival now sits at $94.6 million in North America, and $187 million worldwide after just two weekends in theaters.
As for Thunderbolts*, Marvel Studios' latest slipped to fourth place with $9.5 million, and has now grossed $171 million domestically and $353 million globally after four weeks of release. Despite the "New Avengers" rebranding giving ticket sales a (momentary) boost, the antihero team-up flick will be lucky to climb out of the red at this stage.
Warner Bros. and director Ryan Coogler's Sinners rounds out the top 5. The vampire drama has proven to be a box office juggernaut, taking in another $9.1 million over the weekend to bring its global total to $339 million.
Did you go to see any of the above this weekend? Let us know in the comments section down below.
The new movie's synopsis reads: "Lilo and Stitch tells the story of the bond formed between a lonely human girl named Lilo and a dog-like alien named Stitch, who is engineered to be a force of destruction. Pursuing aliens, social workers, and the idea of the bond of family figure into the proceedings."
Newcomer Maia Kealoha is set to play Lilo, and Zach Galifianakis, Sydney Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Courtney B. Vance, and original animated movie voice actors Tia Carrere, Amy Hill, and Jason Scott Lee will also star. Chris Sanders will once again voice Stitch.
Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) directs Lilo & Stitch from a script by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, based on a previous draft by Mike Van Wess. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich are producing under their Rideback production banner.
“Lilo & Stitch is the wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family. The film is directed by award-winning filmmaker Dean Fleischer Camp, with a screenplay by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes, and stars Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Hannah Waddingham, Chris Sanders, with Courtney B. Vance, and Zach Galifianakis, and introducing Maia Kealoha. “Lilo & Stitch” is produced by Jonathan Eirich, p.g.a. and Dan Lin, with Tom Peitzman, Ryan Halprin, Louie Provost, Thomas Schumacher serving as executive producers.