Memorial Day Weekends are a time to celebrate, remember, and honor all those who have given all for our nation. Since the 80’s, this weekend has also often been about the biggest movies of the year. From Star Wars to Indiana Jones, Memorial Day Weekends became a time to stand in line with friends and families for hours: first to just get the tickets and then to get into the entrance line. To think, now I just reserve seats on my app weeks in advance and walk in 20 minutes after the trailers start… but at least I never miss Nicole Kidman at the AMC theaters telling me “Heartbreak feels good in a place like this!”
As time has moved on the “biggest” weekends have shifted a little to the first weekend of May and July 4 for the summer season. Seriously, Hollywood sent out both Sex in the City 2 and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (great video game, terrible movie) to theaters over the Memorial Day Weekend in 2010. Talk about not even trying! The Lego sets based on one of those movies were already 80% off at Target the next weekend, but I’m not saying which one.
Last year, Hollywood rallied and waited until Memorial Day Weekend to start their truncated “Please come back to the theaters” summer season. A Quiet Place II and Cruella combined for the biggest weekend since the pandemic with a combined $69 million. It was a nice showing, which may not look like much against historic weekends, but the previous week’s two films (Spiral and Wrath of Man) combined for $7.6 million, so, yeah… It was a big deal in the moment. Thankfully, Tom Cruise was noticing and said I think we can do better.
Top Gun: Maverick buzzed the box-office to a Memorial Day Weekend record $160.5 million 4-day total! Fanboys and fangirls (and lots of people in my age demographic) flocked to theaters for the first time in literally years to ride into the Danger Zone one more time. With an extra week before Jurassic World: Dominion flies into theaters June 10, it looks like open skies for Maverick!
Much was also made about how this was the biggest opening weekend in Tom Cruise’s career. I’m not even sure how that was possible?! I thought surely one of the Mission: Impossible films or something had to be a $100 million debut. Nope. His largest start was $64 million with War of the Worlds in 2005. Unbelievable! How this guy has been this successful without having a superhero, a hobbit, a cartoon character, a YouTube channel, or even a wizard in Harry Potter to his name is baffling.
By the way, I thought it was nice how the movie wasn’t even hiding its past as the first music note heard was straight from the original Harold Faltermeyer Top Gun Anthem song in 1986. This wasn’t intentional irony or a wink to the crowd. This was alerting the audience that this is a Top Gun movie and we’re going to do it right. Based on the 99% audience score, I’d say Mission: Accomplished.
On the flipped side, The Bob’s Burger Movie grossed $14.8 million. I can’t imagine this film cost too much to make, so I’d think this is a success. It just won’t be a player in the Top Five.
Similarly, Downton Abbey: A New Era opened with $16 million last week and has made $30 million so far. Once again, I wouldn’t think it costs too much to have people talk in funny British accents, especially if they already have them, so this film should be a profitable one… just not something we’ll see in the eventual Top Five with Minions… because no one wants to hear a Minion with a British accent.
Dr. Strange in The Multiverse of Madness did slow its decent the last few weekends (drops of 47% and 50%), so it has not “tanked” the way some films due that open to huge numbers and then stop. The Doctor is already “in” to the tune of $370.4 million and I’d be surprised if it doesn’t cross $400 million by the time he’s hitting the links at 2pm. Will that be enough to hold off the U.S. Navy and every other “heavy” hitter coming this summer? Time will tell…
The Top Five If Today Was Labor Day:
#1. Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - $370.4 million
#2. Top Gun: Maverick - $160 million
#3. Downton Abbey: A New Era - $30 million
#4. The Bob’s Burger Movie - $14.8 million
#5. Firestarter - $8.1 million
