Over the Memorial Day weekend, Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch outpaced Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, topping both domestic and global box office charts.
The family-friendly sci-fi comedy pulled in a massive $183 million (₹1,525 crore) in North America and a total of $341 million (£252m/₹2,840 crore) worldwide, making it not only Disney’s biggest opening this year but also the highest-grossing Memorial Day debut ever, surpassing Top Gun: Maverick’s $160.5 million (₹1,335 crore) record from 2022.
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Meanwhile, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, promoted as the final chapter in Cruise’s 28-year run as Ethan Hunt, opened with $77 million (₹640 crore) domestically and $190 million (£150m/₹1,580 crore) globally. Despite it being the franchise’s best-ever opening, it faces a steep climb to cover its reported $400 million (₹3,330 crore) production costs. It’s estimated the film will need to earn at least $1 billion (₹8,320 crore) to break even.
Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, Lilo & Stitch reintroduces the story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and her chaotic but loveable alien friend. Eight-year-old Maia Kealoha plays Lilo, while original creator Chris Sanders returns to voice Stitch. The cast also includes Sydney Agudong, Courtney B. Vance, and Zach Galifianakis.
The film joins a long list of Disney’s live-action remakes, ranking just behind The Lion King (2019) and Beauty and the Beast (2017) in opening weekend earnings. Though reviews have been mixed, ranging from “delightfully quirky” to “a mess”, audiences clearly showed up in droves.
Cruise’s Mission: Impossible film ties together several past storylines from earlier entries and brings back a wide cast of returning characters, including Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, and Ving Rhames. Though Cruise has insisted this is the final outing, there’s still speculation about whether it truly marks the end of the road.
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The battle between a beloved Disney alien and an ageing action hero drew large crowds, but it is clear which film captured the spotlight. While Mission: Impossible may yet prove its legs in the coming weeks, Lilo & Stitch has already surfed into record books, reminding everyone that sometimes, heart and nostalgia can outshine even the biggest high-stakes spy games.
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Priya Dogra arrive on the red carpet ahead of the "Madres Paralelas" screening during the 78th Venice Film FestivalGetty Images 
