Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and the box office is looking grim. The “Mad Max” prequel “Furiosa” is on track to score the lowest No. 1 Memorial Day weekend in nearly three decades, since 1998’s “Casper,” with an estimated $31 million take. Plus, it might even end up behind the latest “Garfield” movie in a year also lacking in new superhero films. But traditionally, the holiday weekend is a big one for moviegoing – kids are out of school, adults have three days off and the summer movie season is ready to roll.
For that reason, it feels like a good time to look back at the highest-grossing Memorial Day weekend box office openings of all time, dating back to 1996. Now, it’s important to note these are Memorial Day weekend openings not Memorial Day weekend box office champions – “The Day After Tomorrow” pulled in over $85 million when it opened in 2004, but the top film at the box office for the holiday weekend was holdover “Shrek 2.”
Interestingly enough, while the acclaimed “Top Gun: Maverick” tops them all, the list is chock-full of films that weren’t well received critically but still opened big – “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “Pearl Harbor” and “Terminator: Salvation” all scored pretty impressive opening weekends at the box office and they’re all pretty not-great movies. The going theme is blockbuster here. Americans want to see a spectacle on Memorial Day weekend, something “Furiosa” delivers in spades.
Here’s the list of the 25 highest-grossing Memorial Day box office openings unadjusted for inflation, with totals per Box Office Mojo.
- “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022) – $160,514,980
- “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (2007) – $139,802,190
- “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008) – $126,917,373
- “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006) – $122,861,157
- “The Little Mermaid” (2023) – $118,818,903
- “Fast & Furious 6” (2013) – $117,036,995
- “Aladdin” (2019) – $116, 805,962
- “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (2014) – $110,576,604
- “The Hangover Part II” (2011) – $103,426,875
- “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018) – $103,016,812
- “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” (1997) – $90,161,880
- “The Day After Tomorrow” (2004) – $85,807,341
- “Bruce Almighty” (2003) – $85,734,045
- “X-Men: Apocalypse” (2016) – $79,810,133
- “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” (2017) – $78,476,767
- “Pearl Harbor” (2001) – $75,177,654
- “Mission: Impossible II” (2000) – $70,816,215
- “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” (2009) – $70,052,004
- “Men in Black 3” (2012) – $69,254,717
- “Madagascar” (2005) – $61,012,130
- “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011) – $60,871,175
- “The Longest Yard” (2005) – $58,613,245
- “A Quiet Place Part II” (2021) – $57,088,948
- “Mission: Impossible” (1996) – $56,811,602
- “Godzilla” (1998) – $55,726,951
Leave a Reply