10 Highest Grossing Memorial Day Weekend Movie Openings Of All Time At The U.S. Box Office

by

Memorial Day weekend traditionally kicks off the summer movie season, and many major films have launched successfully during this time. This year, the new Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu, opened over the holiday. While it exceeded expectations and earned $102 million – 30% more than initially predicted – it narrowly missed making the top 10 highest-grossing Memorial Day weekend releases, falling just over $1 million short.

It’s important to remember that Memorial Day weekend includes four days because the holiday is always on a Monday, unlike a typical three-day weekend. While The Mandalorian & Grogu had strong numbers, overall results were down compared to recent years. In three of the last four years, a movie opened during this weekend and landed in the top 10 – including big successes like Top Gun: Maverick (2022), The Little Mermaid (2023), and Lilo & Stitch (2025). Last year, the live-action Lilo & Stitch was a particularly big hit with audiences.

The top 10 movies all drew audiences for different reasons. Some were continuations of popular series, while others brought back franchises that hadn’t been seen in years. These factors, along with generally popular series, helped the films achieve remarkably high box office numbers. All Memorial Day box office data comes from Box Office Mojo.

10. The Hangover Part II (2011) – $103.4 million

After the massive success of the first Hangover film – which became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy ever, surpassing Beverly Hills Cop – director Todd Phillips brought the whole crew back together for a sequel. The Hangover Part II stars Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Justin Bartha, and follows Stu’s trip to Thailand for his wedding. As you might expect, the group wakes up with no recollection of the previous night, and this time, Stu’s brother-in-law has disappeared.

The movie launched with a $103.4 million opening weekend over the 2011 Memorial Day holiday, continuing the franchise’s strong performance. Ultimately, it earned $254.5 million in the US and $586.8 million globally. This opening was record-breaking for an R-rated film, boosted by the popularity of the first movie, which also contributed to its overall success.

9. X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014) – $110.6 million

With a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, X-Men: Days of Future Past is the best-received film in the X-Men prequel series. It also performed well at the box office, landing in the top 10 movies for the Memorial Day weekend. Director Bryan Singer, returning to the franchise after X2, uniquely combined the original X-Men cast with the actors from the prequels, using Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine as a central character to connect the two groups.

The latest X-Men film earned $90.8 million over its opening three-day weekend and a total of $110.5 million during the four-day Memorial Day holiday. A major factor in its success was the return of beloved original cast members like Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Ian McKellen, and Patrick Stewart. With director Bryan Singer also returning after helming the first two films, the movie heavily appealed to fans’ fondness for the original series as much as the new storyline.

8. Aladdin (2019) – $116.8 million

The movie Aladdin is a live-action version of the beloved Disney animated film, which was originally inspired by the ancient stories in One Thousand and One Nights. Guy Ritchie directed it, and Will Smith plays the Genie – a role famously voiced by Robin Williams in the original animation. The film follows Aladdin’s discovery of a magical lamp, Jafar’s quest for power, and the Genie fulfilling Aladdin’s three wishes.

The film earned a remarkable $91.5 million during its opening weekend over Memorial Day, and then added another $116.8 million on Memorial Day itself, for a total of $208.3 million. A major reason for its success was Will Smith’s performance as the Genie, and audiences were still very enthusiastic about Disney’s live-action versions of classic animated films.

7. Fast & Furious 6 (2013) – $117.0 million

As a huge fan of the Fast & Furious series, I remember when Fast & Furious 6 came out in 2013. It was a massive hit, and honestly, it built on the incredible shift we saw with Fast Five. That film totally changed the franchise—it went from being mostly about street racing and smaller crimes to this wild, over-the-top blend of action, spy thrills, and basically turning the characters into superheroes. Fast & Furious 6 was the first movie to really lean into that new direction, and it paid off big time—it made over $117 million just during the Memorial Day weekend!

The film cleverly reintroduced fan-favorite characters, most notably Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), who was surprisingly revealed to be alive in a scene after the credits of Fast Five. This movie brought her back together with Dom (Vin Diesel). Fast & Furious 6 was a huge financial success, earning $788.7 million globally, but it was the next installment that really soared, becoming the first in the series to earn over $1 billion at the box office.

6. The Little Mermaid (2023) – $118.8 million

Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid came out over Memorial Day weekend. Rob Marshall directed the film, with Halle Bailey playing Ariel and Melissa McCarthy delivering a standout performance as Ursula. The movie tells the classic story of a mermaid who makes a deal to become human in pursuit of love. While some initially questioned the casting of Halle Bailey, her powerful vocals quickly proved she was perfect for the part.

Disney’s The Little Mermaid was a major success, proving the studio could dominate holiday box office weekends. Its appealing story and strong musical numbers drew families in, earning $118.8 million over the four-day opening weekend. Positive audience reviews, reflected in an A CinemaScore, helped the film continue to perform well, ultimately grossing $569.6 million worldwide.

5. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) – $122.8 million

Despite receiving largely negative reviews, X-Men: The Last Stand performed incredibly well at the box office during Memorial Day weekend. The film followed the successful X2 and was heavily promoted as an adaptation of the popular Dark Phoenix story, featuring Jean Grey’s transformation. However, when director Bryan Singer left the project and Brett Ratner took over, the movie shifted towards more action and less thematic depth, leading to disappointment among critics.

Despite a very strong opening weekend following the success of its predecessors – earning $102.7 million over three days and $122.8 million over four – the film’s performance declined. Negative reviews and lukewarm audience reception ultimately limited its total domestic earnings to $234.4 million and worldwide earnings to $459.4 million.

4. Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008) – $126.9 million

Like 2008’s X-Men: The Last Stand, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had a very successful opening weekend over Memorial Day. This was largely due to the popularity of previous films in the Indiana Jones series. With Steven Spielberg directing and Harrison Ford reprising his role as Indiana Jones, the movie earned $126.9 million over the four-day holiday weekend.

The film was a box office success, earning $786.6 million globally and becoming the highest-grossing movie in the Indiana Jones series. Although it had been 19 years since the last Indiana Jones film, The Last Crusade, the introduction of Shia LaBeouf as Indiana Jones’s son didn’t quite revitalize the franchise as hoped.

3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) – $139.8 million

When Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End came out in 2007, it had a lot of potential. It concluded the initial Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, with Gore Verbinski directing once again. The film brought back stars Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley, along with Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy as Davy Jones, and Chow Yun-fat.

The Memorial Day box office weekend was impressive, with $114.7 million over the first three days, and a total of $139.8 million after Memorial Day itself. Since this was advertised as the conclusion of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, it brought in audiences who wanted to see how it would reconcile Jack’s death from the last movie. It was also released in a then-record 4,362 theaters.

2. Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – $160.5 million

After a 36-year wait, Tom Cruise reprised his role as Maverick in 2022 with the release of Top Gun: Maverick. The sequel sees Maverick returning to TOPGUN to train a new group of fighter pilots, including Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of his late partner, Goose. The film, which also stars Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, and features Val Kilmer in his final movie appearance, quickly became a hit with audiences.

Top Gun: Maverick earned $126.7 million over its opening three-day weekend – a figure that surpassed many four-day Memorial Day weekend totals. Its total domestic gross reached $160.5 million, and it ultimately grossed $1.495 billion worldwide. The film’s success was fueled by both nostalgia and a promotional campaign led by Tom Cruise, who actively encouraged audiences to return to theaters after the pandemic.

1. Lilo & Stitch (2025) – $182.6 million

The live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch had the biggest Memorial Day opening weekend ever in 2025. Dean Fleischer Camp directed the film, which features CGI aliens and Stitch alongside a cast of human actors. Maia Kealoha was praised by critics for her performance as Lilo, and the movie proved to be a major hit.

I was absolutely blown away by the opening weekend of this movie! It made $145.5 million in just three days, which was incredible – only beaten by Top Gun: Maverick of all films. Over the four-day holiday weekend, it earned a total of $182.6 million! And the final worldwide box office? A massive $1.038 billion! It’s been 23 years since we first fell in love with Stitch, and honestly, releasing this heartwarming, family-friendly movie over a holiday weekend was a stroke of genius. It was destined to be a hit!

Read More

2026-05-25 21:43