LOS ANGELES, May 27 — Walt Disney’s live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch and Tom Cruise’s newest Mission: Impossible adventure brought crowds to cinemas and helped set a box office record for the US Memorial Day weekend.
Receipts for the top 10 films reached US$326.7 million in the United States and Canada, according to Comscore estimates of ticket sales from Friday through Monday. That topped the previous record of US$314.3 million for the holiday weekend, set in 2013 when the sixth Fast & Furious film debuted.
The milestone provided positive news for the film industry, which remains below pre-pandemic levels in yearly ticket sales. Hollywood labour strikes in 2023 and competition from streaming services have affected cinema attendance.
Family audiences turned out for Lilo & Stitch, a remake of a 2002 animated classic about a mischievous blue alien taken in by two sisters in Hawaii.
Cruise fans showed up to see the actor and his death-defying stunts in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. The film is the eighth instalment in the action franchise and is being promoted as Cruise’s last appearance as fictional spy Ethan Hunt.
A slate of spring releases that appealed to audiences increased box office results over the past two months and helped boost interest among cinemagoers for this weekend’s films, according to box office analysts.
“That success has transitioned into significant momentum,” said Shawn Robbins, director of film analytics for ticket seller Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory.
“Two major studios put out two very different films for very different audiences, and they yet again proved cinema-going is still an important piece of the fabric of pop culture,” Robbins said.
Some earlier hits still showing in cinemas contributed to the weekend’s tally, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
A Minecraft Movie, based on the popular video game, brought its global total to US$940.6 million since its release in early April. Horror flick Sinners starring Michael B. Jordan rose to US$339 million. Both were distributed by Warner Bros.
Year-to-date ticket sales in the US and Canada totalled US$3.1 billion, 22 per cent higher than at the same point in 2023, but 28 per cent below the pre-pandemic year of 2019, Comscore said. Avengers: Endgame, the second-highest grossing film of all time, was dominating the charts in May 2019.
The new films this weekend also generated strong sales overseas.
Lilo & Stitch added US$158.7 million in international markets for a global total of US$314.7 million.
Mission: Impossible, distributed by Paramount Global, racked up US$205.5 million around the world, with US$127 million coming from outside the United States and Canada.
Cinema owners hope the enthusiasm continues through the summer, Hollywood’s biggest season for film releases. Upcoming titles include a new Superman movie, a live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon and F1 starring Brad Pitt as a Formula 1 driver. — Reuters