Disney live-action remakes in the works. With so much already earned, it is now possible that Lilo & Stitch could even go on to be the biggest movie of the year.

Among the most anticipated movies of summer 2025, Lilo & Stitch ranked surprisingly high. After starting out planned for a Disney+ release, the film's plans pivoted to theatrical early in development, and it appears that decision has paid off in spades. Looking back at the incredible success of Disney's 2024 hits, Lilo & Stitch already compares favorably to the box office of Deadpool & Wolverine, Inside Out 2, and Moana 2. Following the disappointing results of this year’s Snow White, this is surely a great relief for Disney.

Disney's Lilo & Stitch Remake Made $341M At The Global Box Office

The Film's Worldwide Total Beat Out A Franchise Best Opening For Mission: Impossible 8

This past weekend was a stacked one at the global box office, but according to Deadline, Lilo & Stitch won the weekend handily, grossing a total of $341 million. This number is particularly impressive for how it beat out expectations for the film, which many had at around $100 million domestic for the four-day weekend. Even domestically, the film exceeded expectations significantly, grossing $145.5 million over the three-day period, and $183 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend.

These figures are genuinely shocking, especially when considering the competition from the Easter egg-packed Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning opening against Lilo & Stitch. That film was also able to scrounge up an incredible opening for the franchise, grossing $204 million worldwide. These performances speak to an incredibly healthy box office, especially with other films like Sinners, Thunderbolts, and Final Destination: Bloodlines continuing to do well in cinemas alongside them. Business at the movies was good this weekend, and is hopefully a harbinger of what is to come throughout this summer.

Lilo & Stitch Broke A Memorial Day Record Previously Held By Another Tom Cruise Movie

Top Gun: Maverick Previously Held The Record For The Biggest Memorial Day Opening

The Memorial Day weekend is an important time at the box office, with massive summer movies being released, but Lilo & Stitch has just earned the record of being the biggest domestic weekend ever for that timeframe. Interestingly, this was not close; Top Gun: Maverick, starring this weekend's box office runner-up in Mission: Impossible's Tom Cruise, previously held that record, earning $160.5 million over the same four-day period. Lilo & Stitch exceeded this number significantly, earning an incredible total of $183 million over that same timeframe and taking the record for the biggest domestic Memorial Day weekend ever.

As far as holiday weekends go in general, Lilo & Stitch now also has the second-highest holiday opening of all time, falling only behind the release of Black Panther. With a PG rating, and clear success suggested by the performances of comparative films with a similar release, Lilo & Stitch seems set to go on to earn a great deal of money for Disney. The film is set to break all kinds of records over its long run this summer, and will only face marginal competition this weekend from Karate Kid: Legends, suggesting a small drop for its second weekend.

How Does Lilo & Stitch's Box Office Compare To Other Disney Remakes?

Lilo & Stitch Has One Of The Strongest Openings For Disney's Remakes Yet

Lilo & Stitch has performed incredibly well when compared to similar films. Of the extensive list of remakes that Disney has made, only The Lion King had a bigger domestic opening, which was $191.8 million. This in itself was a staggering success, and it is shocking that Lilo & Stitch was nearly able to match it. The new film has then exceeded the domestic openings of the live-action Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Alice in Wonderland, all of which went on to gross more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

All of this is considerable, especially when noting that the original animated Lilo & Stitch from 2002 only went on to earn $273 million worldwide against a budget of $80 million. While the original was a decent success for Disney, it is incredible that the remake was able to exceed the film's entire worldwide gross in only its first weekend at the global box office. This is an incredible achievement for the new film, and will likely go on to make it not just one of the biggest films of this year, but also one of the most profitable.

Why Did Lilo & Stitch Remake Become A Major Box Office Success In Just One Weekend?

There Are Several Reasons Why Lilo & Stitch Has Performed So Well

Considering the budget and expectations for Lilo & Stitch, this performance is incredible. Lilo & Stitch is clearly a behemoth, and details from Deadline help to explain this. The franchise sold more than $2.5 billion worth of merchandise last year, which spoke to audience interest in the new film. These factors, including popularity in merchandise, nostalgia for Millennial and Gen Z audiences who grew up with the original, and the international appeal of a character like Stitch, contributed to this immense box office success.

Most importantly, however, is the fact that the film had a modest budget. Rather than following in the footsteps of films like The Little Mermaid and Snow White, both of which had budgets that exceeded $240 million, Lilo & Stitch was made for a much more reasonable $100 million. With an irreverent tone, and fun marketing pranks including Stitch popcorn buckets, the film was able to differentiate itself from the other more reverent live-action adaptations, making it look like a fun time at the movies.

Does Lilo & Stitch Have A Chance To Become The First $1B Hollywood Movie In 2025?

$1 Billion Is Looking More Likely For Lilo & Stitch With Each ing Day

After an incredible box office performance beginning in April, many expected that A Minecraft Movie would gross $1 billion at the international box office. To date, this has not happened, and, at $940 million, after having already been released on digital, it seems unlikely to occur now. However, Lilo & Stitch's path to $1 billion looks even more likely. The film's domestic opening is larger, and reviews for Lilo & Stitch are stronger, suggesting that it may have better legs throughout the rest of its run.

Lilo & Stitch will not face direct competition from another film aimed at the same audience until June 15th, when How to Train Your Dragon is released in theaters.

Only one movie has made over $1 billion at the global box office this year so far, but that is likely to change soon. To date, only the Chinese film Ne Zha 2 has crossed that important milestone, grossing more than $1.89 billion, with most of that money coming from the Chinese market. While Lilo & Stitch is unlikely to achieve this same level of success, the film's making it to $1 billion is increasingly likely, and it will probably be the first Hollywood movie of 2025 to hit that incredible milestone.

What Does The $341M Global Box Office Mean For The Future Of Lilo & Stitch Live-Action?

Disney Seems To Have Another Profitable Franchise On Their Hands

If Lilo & Stitch continues to achieve this level of success, it is almost assured that the film will receive a sequel of some kind. Notably, however, it has been difficult to get additional films spun off from even the most successful live-action Disney remakes. Beauty and the Beast had a Gaston spinoff planned that never materialized, and talk of an Aladdin 2 has disappeared as well.

With all this in mind, with a movie made this affordably achieving these kinds of box office results, a sequel is surely a priority at Disney. With additional Lilo & Stitch material to draw from, including direct-to-video sequels Stitch! The Movie, Leroy and Stitch, and Lilo & Stitch 2, as well as a television series, there is a lot that could be adapted for an additional film. Like with Mufasa: The Lion King or Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, additional films in this franchise will likely become a high priority for the studio.

Lilo & Stitch is already an enormous success for Disney. With such a low budget and great audience reception, the film is likely to continue making considerable amounts of money for the foreseeable future. Considering how the film has likely already recouped its budget and marketing costs, Lilo & Stitch will go on to produce pure profit for Disney in the coming weeks and months. This will surely be a memorable success that Disney will work hard to try to replicate in the coming years.

Sources: Deadline, Deadline