By Dawn Chmielewski
(Reuters) -The live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch” and the adrenaline-fueled “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” racked up a combined $494.2 million in worldwide ticket sales, including $208.5 million in the U.S. and Canada, setting the stage for a record-breaking Memorial Day weekend.
“Lilo & Stitch,” which re-imagines Disney’s 2002 animated film about a mischievous alien who crash-lands in Hawaii and is adopted by two sisters, brought in $304.2 million around the world through Sunday, including $145.5 million from domestic sales.
Tom Cruise’s reprisal of his role as the death-defying spy, Ethan Hunt, in “Mission: Impossible,” rang up $190 million in global ticket sales, including $63 million in the U.S. and Canada.
The strong holiday weekend haul marks an encouraging start to the summer, which typically accounts for 35 to 40 percent of the annual domestic box office. It also represents a shot in the arm for theater owners after a dismal March, when ticket sales were down 45% from a year earlier.
(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los AngelesEditing by Nick Zieminski)
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