Movie theater stocks: AMC, Cinemark, Marcus soar on ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ ‘Mission: Impossible’ Memorial Day box office

Shares in America’s publicly traded movie theater chains surged yesterday, the first day of trading after the Memorial Day holiday. It’s a holiday weekend that saw moviegoers flock to theaters in droves, snapping up tickets and leading to the best Memorial Day weekend box office in history. Here’s what you need to know about the Memorial Day box office and its impact on shares in movie theater companies.

Memorial Day box office was the best on record

Movies generated a record $326 million at the Memorial Day box office this weekend, a period that ran from Friday, May 23, to Monday, May 26. That four-day haul record was largely fueled by two films.

The first was the live-action remake of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, which took in a staggering $192.7 million domestically during the four-day period, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That’s a historic record—the most any film has ever made over the Memorial Day period.

Coming in second place was Tom Cruise’s latest installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Paramount’s Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning took in $79 million domestically over the four-day period, a record for the franchise.

In total, Lilo & Stitch made $361.3 million globally during the four-day period, and Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning took in $191 million globally.

But while executives at Disney and Paramount are no doubt lauding the record box office haul for the holiday weekend, executives at America’s publicly traded movie theater chains are also celebrating—and so are investors.

AMC, Cinemark, and Marcus shares surge

Thanks to the record-breaking box office haul over the Memorial Day weekend, shares in movie theater chains in the United States surged on Tuesday, the first trading day after the holiday.

Iconic meme stock AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AMC), as well as Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), and The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS) all saw their shares jump yesterday.

• AMC: up over 23% to $4.01
• CNK: up over 3.8% to $33.69
• MCS: up over 10% to $18.71

Given how theater attendance has struggled since the pandemic, it’s little wonder that the stellar Memorial Day weekend period at the box office is giving investors cause for celebration.

Many in the industry have worried in recent years that the pandemic triggered a shift in audience habits away from movie theaters and toward their large televisions at home, particularly as streaming has become the de facto king of entertainment.

Yet, the weekend box office suggests that if you give audiences movies that resonate with them, they will show up with their wallets at the theater instead of waiting to watch the films at home.

“This record-setting Memorial Day weekend underscores the long-standing truth that when exceptional films meet unmatched theatrical experiences, audiences respond in a big way,” AMC Adam Aron said in a press release.

The release also noted that AMC didn’t just see a record-breaking box office. The chain said it also generated record food and beverage revenue this weekend. Concessions, such as popcorn and soda, are a major driver of profits at theaters.

Cinemark CEO Sean Gamble also reported records at the chain, noting in a press release, “Cinemark delivered a remarkable over-performance, breaking numerous records across box office and concession revenues.”

And Greg Marcus, CEO of Marcus Corporation, said the company has high hopes for the rest of 2025, too. “Once again, huge audiences came out for the experience of enjoying these films on the big screen in theatres,” Marcus noted. “We expect the momentum to continue throughout the summer with an exciting slate of films ahead.”

That slate of films includes the highly anticipated Superman reboot from Warner Bros; the latest Marvel movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, from Disney; and Universal’s newest installment of the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World Rebirth.

View the full article