‘Lilo & Stitch’ Is First Movie Of 2025 To Reach Box Office Milestone

Beating out other movies such as Sinners, the live-action Lilo & Stitch adaptation joins the billion-dollar club alongside Moana 2 to be the first title of the year.

This live-action blockbuster is now the top-grossing Western movie globally. Last week, the Disney movie earned $416.2 million domestically and $584.8 million worldwide, totaling $1 billion.

With these totals, this movie has dethroned China’s Ne Za 2 for the overall 2025 record. The majority of Lilo & Stitch’s earnings come from the Chinese box office, with North America’s earnings being only $20 million.

This live movie adaptation originated from an animated film back in 2002. Lilo & Stitch follows the titular character, Lilo, a young girl from Hawaii, who encounters an extraterrestrial named Stitch at the animal shelter while searching for a pet dog. During the animated movie, the two characters embark on an adventurous journey, exploring themes of family, among others.

Despite all the controversies, the live-action adaptation has exceeded expectations and become the most popular movie. With Lilo & Stitch becoming a $1 billion movie, Disney now has a total of four movies that have reached this milestone. These movies include the Moana sequel, Marvel Studios: Deadpool and Wolverine, and Pixar’s Inside Out 2.

Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman expressed gratitude for this achievement.

“We knew there was a lot of love for Lilo and Stitch with audiences around the world, yet we never take that for granted, and we’re proud of how this new film has connected with people.” He then continued, “I’m thankful to our filmmakers, our cast, and all of our studio team who have made this film such a success, and we look forward to more adventures with these characters ahead.”

Lilo & Stitch was already breaking records during its launch on Memorial Day weekend. The movie had a record-breaking $183 million that week, competing with other films, blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning.

Lilo & Stitch is also one of the two movies this year to surpass $400 million at the domestic box office, the other being the Minecraft movie, which earned a whopping $950 million.

Outside of the US and places such as Europe and Mexico in Latin America, the live-action adaptation ranked as the top-grossing international Hollywood release of the year.

As the movie is still playing in theaters, discussions about a sequel are already underway. With the live-action success, global interest in the franchise has skyrocketed, and the animated film has seen a corresponding increase in viewership.

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