Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch' leads record box office over US Memorial Day weekend
FILE PHOTO: Chris Sanders, Billy Magnussen, Zach Galifianakis, Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong, Courtney B. Vance, Kaipo Dudoit, Amy Hill and Stitch attend a premiere for the film \"Lilo & Stitch\" in Los Angeles, California, U.S. May 17, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
LOS ANGELES - Walt Disney's live-action remake of the animated classic "Lilo & Stitch" topped box office charts in the United States and Canada with $183 million in ticket sales over the U.S. Memorial Day weekend, according to estimates released on Monday.
"Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning," starring Tom Cruise, was on pace to bring in $77.5 million from Friday through Monday, distributor Paramount Global said.
Total sales for all films are expected to set a record for the Memorial Day weekend, box office analysts said. The previous record of $314.3 million was established in 2013, when the sixth "Fast & Furious" movie debuted.
"Lilo & Stitch," the story of a mischievous blue alien taken in by two sisters in Hawaii, added $158.7 million in international markets for a global total of $314.7 million.
"Mission: Impossible," the eighth installment in Cruise's action franchise, racked up $205.5 million around the world. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
30 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Risky business or lethal weapon? Drop shot in focus after Bublik barrage
PARIS - Hit with lots of backslice and a soft touch, the drop shot can be a well-masked weapon in tennis but Alexander Bublik's staggering 37 attempts in Monday's French Open fourth round win over Jack Draper brought the shot sharply into focus. In today's power game where players -- women and men -- thump the ball from baseline to baseline at a speed of more than 120 kmh, applying the shot can be extremely risky. When it does work it gets the crowd going and can crush an opponent's spirit. But Kazakh Bublik, among the most naturally gifted players of his generation, used it to maximum effect against his British opponent, leaving even women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka impressed. "That was crazy. I was watching that match," Sabalenka said on Tuesday after her own march into the semi-finals with a straight sets victory over China's Zheng Qinwen. Sabalenka and Zheng hit a total of 20 drop shots combined, compared to Bublik's 37. "I have to say that the drop shot is quite a risky shot, and you really have to have good hands and good understanding of the court to be able to make it," Sabalenka said. "Not every girl is that fearless like Bublik. I watched that match yesterday, and sometimes it was just, like, wow, it just seems like it was his day." Bublik's drop shot frequency also left his opponent stunned. "He was hitting incredible drop shots all around. I don't play many matches where I feel like it's almost out of my control what's going on, and he made that happen," Draper said. Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek hit just three in her own quarter-final win over Ukraine's Elina Svitolina on Tuesday. "He (Bublik) would just go for the drop shot from the serves, from returns. It doesn't make sense, you know?," Sabalenka said. "If you feel that this is the day when things are going to work out for you, you definitely have to go for it because it's a good shot, especially on the clay court," she added. "But it's a risky shot. Not everyone has that good hands as Bublik had yesterday." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault trial to conclude with closing arguments
FILE PHOTO: Harvey Weinstein appears for his retrial at the Manhattan criminal court, New York, U.S., May 30 2025. Yuki Iwamura/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo NEW YORK - Harvey Weinstein's rape and sexual assault trial is set to wrap up with closing arguments to the jury by prosecutors and defense lawyers on Tuesday in Manhattan, a year after a state appeals court overturned the former movie mogul's 2020 conviction. Weinstein, 73, is accused of raping an actress and assaulting two women in what prosecutors have called a pattern in which the onetime Hollywood kingmaker used his power and influence to lure in victims and then keep them silent. The Miramax studio co-founder has pleaded not guilty and has denied ever having non-consensual sex with anyone. Weinstein, suffering from a litany of health problems, was present throughout the trial in a wheelchair. Weinstein already will likely spend the rest of his life in prison due to a 16-year prison sentence for rape in California. Weinstein was convicted of rape by a jury in a previous trial in Manhattan in February 2020, but the New York Court of Appeals in April 2024 threw out the conviction and ordered a new trial, citing errors by the trial judge. Weinstein had been serving a 23-year sentence in a prison in upstate Rome, New York, when the conviction was overturned. That conviction had been a milestone for the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by powerful men. Weinstein has been held at New York City's Rikers Island jail since his conviction was overturned. He has had several health scares while being held at Rikers, and in September was rushed to a hospital for emergency heart surgery. Prosecutors with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg have portrayed Weinstein as a serial predator who promised career advancement in Hollywood to women, only to then coax them into private settings where he attacked them. Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala rejected that characterization during his opening statement to the jury, saying the Oscar-winning producer had "mutually beneficial" relationships with his accusers, who ended up with auditions and other show business opportunities. Bragg's office originally accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013, charges he was convicted of in the first trial. For the retrial, prosecutors added a new charge that Weinstein assaulted another woman in Manhattan in 2002. The woman, Kaja Sokola of Poland, testified that Weinstein assaulted her in a Manhattan hotel room. More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of misconduct. He has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex. Miramax studio produced many hit movies in its heyday, including "Shakespeare in Love" and "Pulp Fiction." Weinstein's own eponymous film studio filed for bankruptcy in March 2018, five months after the original sexual misconduct accusations became widely publicized. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Record-chasing Swiatek dispatches Svitolina to make French Open last four
PARIS - Four-times champion Iga Swiatek of Poland swept aside Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-1 7-5 on a windy day at the French Open on Tuesday to earn a semi-final spot and stay in the hunt for a record-breaking victory in Paris The 24-year-old, who accepted a one-month doping ban late last year, is looking to become the first woman in the professional era since 1968 to win four consecutive titles in Paris. Although she failed to win a title going into the French Open this season, she looks to have rediscovered her remarkable claycourt form in Paris. She will next play world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a mouth-watering semi-final after the Belarusian beat China's Zheng Qinwen in straight sets. "I should have had better intensity in the beginning of the second set," Swiatek said in a post-match interview. "When I saw my intensity go low I got it high again. I am happy I did it at the end of the set. "Against Aryna it is always a challenge. She has a game for every surface. I have to do the work, be brave with my shots and go for it. She is having a great season." "I will not lie. It will be a tough match but am happy for the challenge," she said. The Pole is now on a 26-match winning streak at the French Open, following her title three-peat between 2022-24 to add to her 2020 crown. Swiatek, playing in an initially sparsely filled Philipp Chatrier stadium, broke the Ukrainian, in her fifth quarter-final appearance in Paris, early and kept her on the back foot with her heavy top-spin forehand and rapid changes in pace and direction. Svitolina desperately tried to hang on but she could not match her opponent's power in rallies, sending a forehand into the net to hand her another break as Swiatek bagged the set on her serve in the next game. With her husband, French tennis player Gael Monfils, watching from the stands, Svitolina ignited hope among the crowd when she moved 5-4 up in the second set. Three unforced forehand errors in the next game, however, proved too many and Swiatek raced through the next three games to seal victory, firing three aces in the final game including one on match point. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.