Movie Theaters Break Ticket Revenue Records Over Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend proved profitable for movie theaters. American cinemas posted record-high revenue for the five-day period from Thursday to Monday, coinciding with the release of multiple new films.

Collectively, total revenue reached dizzying heights for movie theaters across the country. Guests spent nearly $327 million at the box office over the weekend, crushing last year’s revenue of $132 million and breaking the 2013 record of $314 million.

“Finally it would appear that our industry has turned a corner. Since early April, weekend after weekend, moviegoers have been demonstrating their preference for theatrical moviegoing,” said AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron in a press release. “We firmly expect to be enjoying a robust theatrical box office as we look ahead.”

Memorial Day weekend was big for three of the nation’s biggest movie theater operators — AMC, Marcus Theatres, and Cinemark. Reportedly, the companies achieved their highest ticket revenues to date.

Movie Theater Premieres Helped Drive Up Memorial Day Weekend Numbers

The record revenue numbers for Memorial Day weekend were fueled by highly anticipated movie releases. Carryover from previously released movies helped enhance the numbers as well.

Disney’s live-action film “Lilo & Stitch” grossed about $183 million in the U.S. from Friday to Monday. Action movie “Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning” from Paramount reached $77.5 million in ticket sales over the same period. Rounding out the remaining top five films were “Final Destination Bloodlines” ($23.9 million), “Thunderbolts” ($11.8 million), and “Sinners” ($11 million).

“Everything came together at the right time with two eagerly anticipated, positively reviewed tentpoles courting a diverse range of audiences,” said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango, per NBC. “This record holiday frame continues a box office winning streak which began in the spring and has now grown into bona fide momentum for what will likely be a $4 billion-plus summer at domestic cinemas thanks to a string of promising blockbusters on the slate.”

For the summer movie season, which ends Labor Day weekend, moviegoers can expect several new releases, including a Disney-Pixar joint venture called “Elio.” Another live-action movie originally released as an animation, “How to Train Your Dragon,” and a reboot of “Superman” will also hit theaters before fall.