Box office: Can Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning brave Lilo and Stitch this Memorial Day weekend?

The 2025 Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to be a cinematic showdown between two major titles—Paramount’s Mission: Impossible —The Final Reckoning and Disney’s Lilo & Stitch. While both films cater to vastly different demographics, all eyes are on which title will take the crown at the box office.

Early industry projections suggest that Lilo & Stitch, bolstered by the Mouse House branding and nostalgia-fueled appeal for family audiences, is poised to secure a bigger opening. With a fresh reimagining of the 2002 animated film, the live-action version directed by Dean Fleischer Camp brings back Chris Sanders, the original voice for Stitch, and features rising star Maia Kealoha as Lilo. The film’s heartwarming premise makes it a perfect Memorial Day contender, especially with its wide appeal among family audiences.

However, writing off Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning would be a mishap. The Tom Cruise-led action saga has long proven its allure, and this eighth installment has several factors working in its favor.

Not only is it a direct sequel to 2023’s Dead Reckoning Part One, but it's also the final entry in the globe-trotting franchise, giving it a sense of urgency that’s hard to ignore. Fans who have followed Ethan Hunt’s high-stakes journey for nearly three decades will want to bid farewell in theaters.

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the film reunites Cruise with key cast members including Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Vanessa Kirby. With filming across stunning international locations—which contributed to its ballooned USD 400 million budget—MI8 promises to be a breathtaking spectacle with signature stunt sequences and emotional closure.

With the just-mentioned production budget, however, the film will have to gross well over USD 1 billion globally to break even—a feat only achievable with favorable word of mouth and an enduring box office run.

To conclude, Lilo & Stitch may open bigger, but Mission: Impossible 8 has the franchise extraction, star power, and emotional weight. We’ll leave it for fans to decide what their vibe for the Memorial Day weekend will be—a heartwarming live-action experience or an explosive espionage ride.

Both films will arrive in theaters on May 23.

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