Let’s get real—Memorial Day weekend 2025 was not just another extended weekend at the cinema. It was a bona fide cinematic resurgence. With years of streaming doubts, box office woes, and superhero burnout, theaters were hot again, with a record-breaking $322 million total in North America. Seats were filled, concessions were soaring, and five movies were at the forefront of spearheading the action across all genres. From antiheroes to cartoon legends, these are the five best performers that made Memorial Day weekend a turning point for moviegoing.
5. Thunderbolts
Marvel’s Thunderbolts might not have opened up new territory for the MCU, but it showed there’s still a lot of gas in the tank, especially when Marvel indulges in the darker, grimier side of its universe. With $11.6 million added during the holiday weekend and a domestic total that has surpassed $171 million, the movie passed Captain America: Brave New World at the same point in its run.
Fans were attracted by Pedro Pascal’s introduction as a central Marvel character, and critics reacted more favorably than they have to recent Marvel releases. Although it didn’t reach the $200 million threshold many previous entries easily breached, Thunderbolts sustained momentum with its quirky tone and ensemble mayhem. In a franchise frequently criticized for playing things too safe, this was Marvel embracing weirdness—and succeeding.
4. Sinners
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners provided what few films even attempted: an entirely original, genre-melding blockbuster. Half Southern Gothic, half vampire epic, and wholly engrossing, the film took in $11.2 million during the holiday period, pushing its domestic total to a whopping $252 million and more than $339 million internationally.
Starring Michael B. Jordan in multiple roles, Sinners continues to attract audiences six weeks into its release due to great word-of-mouth and critical raves. Critics like The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis praised it as “a passionate praise song to life, love, and cinema itself.” With its rich visual style and ambitious storytelling, Sinners is on track to become one of the most successful original R-rated films in box office history.
3. Final Destination: Bloodlines
Horror fans showed up in droves for the return of Final Destination, and Bloodlines delivered in a big way. Over Memorial Day, it added $24.5 million, pushing its domestic total past $100 million, making it the highest-grossing installment in the franchise’s two-decade history. Opening weekend alone brought in $51.7 million, outperforming many earlier entries’ entire theatrical runs. Even more impressive? It’s currently sitting at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, earning the best reviews the series has ever seen. In the eyes of critics and fans of years past, according to both, Bloodlines rebooted the franchise without sacrificing the original’s warped sense of reality. Ten years since the previous film, Final Destination, officially came back from the dead—stylishly.
2. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
For the eighth installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, Tom Cruise reminded everyone once again that he’s one of the few remaining movie stars with The Final Reckoning. The movie burst into cinemas with a $63 million three-day start and added $14 million over Memorial Day for a total of $77 million over four days.
That’s a franchise high—and with over $200 million overseas, it’s also on track to be the largest M: I film ever. Clocking in at just shy of three hours, it’s a huge swing in terms of scope and budget (a rumored $500 million), but the fans came out for the show, particularly the IMAX stunts that have become Cruise’s calling card. It received an A- CinemaScore from audiences, and it’s obvious Ethan Hunt still has some gas in the tank.
1. Lilo & Stitch
Disney’s live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch not only won the weekend, but it also broke box office records. With its $145.5 million three-day start and $37.5 million in extra business on Memorial Day, the four-day domestic total for the film took off to $183 million. That is the largest Memorial Day opening ever and the second-largest four-day opening in box office history, only behind Black Panther.
The movie found just the right balance of nostalgia and new energy, scoring an “A” CinemaScore and critic- and audience-pleasing reviews. At a comparatively modest $100 million production cost, it’s already a box office smash, more than doubling the entire run of the 2002 original in one weekend alone. Lilo & Stitch is now officially a new high-water mark for Disney’s live-action slate—and a reminder of what savvy remakes can do.
Memorial Day 2025 was about more than one or two bullets—it was a demonstration of what the movie experience can still deliver when the studios get it right. From an R-rated original that wasn’t afraid to push boundaries to legacy brands that are firing on all pistons, and a favorite Disney remake blowing up the charts, the weekend affirmed moviegoing is very much alive. If anything, it’s booming. With summer finally in full swing, the bar is now sky-high, and cinemaphiles couldn’t be more pleased.