Disney’s Lilo and Stitch remake has already made more money than the original movie – and it could be the first billion-dollar movie of 2025 at the box office.
Three of the top 50 highest-grossing movies of all time are live-action remakes: Aladdin ($1.05 billion), Beauty and the Beast ($1.2 billion), and The Lion King ($1.6 billion).
They don’t always connect with audiences (cough, Snow White), but Lilo and Stitch is on track to become one of the studio’s most successful do-overs. While not on the same level as Barbenheimer, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning hit theaters on the same day, so there was something for everyone at the cinema over the Memorial Day weekend.
Looking ahead, if Lilo and Stitch keeps steady bookings, it could break the billion-dollar barrier in the next three weeks.
How much has Lilo and Stitch made so far?
Lilo and Stitch has grossed $341.7 billion worldwide, with $183 million coming from the US.
That’s an enormous figure for an opening weekend. To put that into context, it’s nearly made more money than Thunderbolts ($355.5 million), and it’s obliterated Snow White’s theatrical haul ($205.1 million).
It’s also made more than the original Lilo and Stitch, which raked in a total of $273 million worldwide in 2002.
As for how it compares to Mission: Impossible, The Final Reckoning pulled in $204 million globally over the four-day weekend, marking a record launch for the franchise in the US and overseas (as well as the biggest Memorial Day weekend in box office history).
“Millions of moviegoers this holiday weekend proved once again that going to the cinema is a true American pastime,” Cinema United President & CEO Michael O’Leary said in a statement.
“Records aside, it’s clear that movie theaters are cultural and economic hubs in cities and towns of all sizes, uniting communities across the country in the singular thrill of seeing a movie on the big screen. This weekend is just the start of what will be a great summer for movie fans around the world.”
Will Lilo and Stitch make $1 billion?
Barring a huge drop-off in its second weekend, Lilo and Stitch seems destined to make $1 billion (and possibly much more).
First of all, it doesn’t have any serious competition until the How to Train Your Dragon remake hits cinemas… and that’s not until June 13. That’s just under three weeks away, so Lilo and Stitch has plenty of time to dominate multiplexes with family bookings.
Secondly, the best point of comparison is 2019’s The Lion King remake. It opened with $446 million worldwide, over $100 million more than Lilo and Stitch, and it entered the billion-dollar club less than three weeks after its release.
It’s unlikely it’ll make more than The Lion King, but considering it went on to make over $1.6 billion, Lilo and Stitch is almost guaranteed to make $1 billion – it’s just a matter of when, not if.
Thirdly, while the remake has been criticized by fans for Captain Gantu’s absence and its changes to the original film’s ending, it’s broadly well-liked. It got an A CinemaScore and a 93% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which bodes well for its performance in the coming weeks.
Fourthly and finally, if you think A Minecraft Movie will be the first film to make $1 billion this year, think again. Its box office haul stands at $940 million, and its domestic takings were as low as $2.7 million over the Memorial Day weekend. In short, Lilo and Stitch has stolen its audience.
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