Economic conditions & trends

AMC Reports Record Revenues for Memorial Day Weekend

MAY 28 2025·Updated MAY 29 2025

Story

Above: Moviegoers attend showings of "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" at AMC Century City in Los Angeles, California, on May 22, 2025. Image credit: Jason Armond/Contributor/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The Facts

AMC Entertainment reported its most lucrative Memorial Day weekend in history, with record-breaking admissions, food and beverage sales, and total revenue at U.S. theaters from Thursday through Monday, driven by blockbuster releases Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
AMC Entertainment Holdings
Investopedia
Los Angeles Times
More than 7 million moviegoers visited AMC and ODEON Cinemas locations globally during the five-day period, marking AMC's highest-attended Memorial Day weekend since 2013 and the company's third-biggest revenue period in over a decade.
AMC Entertainment Holdings
Investing
Boxoffice
The total U.S. box office reached $326.7 million over the holiday weekend, surpassing the previous Memorial Day record of $314.3 million set in 2013. Lilo & Stitch earned $183 million, while Mission: Impossible generated $77.5 million in domestic ticket sales.
Retailwire
Investopedia
AMC recorded its highest attendance on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in the U.S. in 2025, with a strong performance across its premium screening formats, including IMAX, Dolby Cinema, and RealD 3D.
AMC Entertainment Holdings
Investing
The record-breaking Memorial Day weekend box office helped boost AMC's stock by over 23.77% on Tuesday, though shares remain down for the year overall.
AMC Entertainment Holdings
Market Watch
The record-breaking weekend follows a relatively solid spring performance, with April's domestic theatrical revenue reaching $875 million, approaching the pre-pandemic average of $886 million for the same month from 2015 to 2019.
Los Angeles Times
Retailwire

Sources Split

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CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The theatrical movie industry has definitively turned a corner after years of struggles related to the pandemic. Weekend after weekend since early April, audiences have demonstrated their clear preference for the theatrical experience over at-home streaming. With a strong slate of upcoming releases through 2025 and into 2026, theaters are positioned for sustained box office success and renewed cultural relevance.

Investing

Retailwire

Narrative B

While the record numbers are impressive, audiences have become more selective about theater attendance in the streaming era. Viewers are primarily drawn to theaters for major family films and must-see spectacles, with shorter theatrical windows and the convenience of streaming changing consumer behavior. The industry's recovery remains concentrated on specific types of content rather than indicating a complete return to pre-pandemic habits.

Quartz