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The Lilo & Stich ohana has catapulted the film into a major box-office milestone.
Walt Disney Studios announced on Thursday, July 17, that the live-action remake of their 2002 animated classic has surpassed $1 billion in global ticket sales, making it the first Hollywood film to do so in 2025.
Per a release from the Walt Disney Company, it marks their fourth $1 billion-plus effort over the past 13 months, after 2024’s Moana 2, Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2.
A Minecraft Movie is in second place for the year among Hollywood releases, with a global box office haul of over $955 million, while ahead of Lilo & Stitch is China’s animated film Ne Zha 2, which has made nearly $1.9 billion so far this year.
Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman said in a statement that those at the company “knew there was a lot of love for Lilo & 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.”
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Added Bergman, “I’m thankful to our filmmakers, our cast and all on our Studio team who have made this film such a success, and we look forward to more adventures with these characters ahead.”
Lilo & Stitch became the biggest Memorial Day opener of all time this past May, beating out Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible —The Final Reckoning with $183 million in domestic ticket sales and a global haul of $341.7 million.
As a result of Lilo & Stitch’s box-office success, Disney announced on June 26 — a reference to the alien’s moniker, Experiment 626 — that the movie is getting a sequel.
In an Instagram post, Disney shared a video of Stitch driving a mini pink convertible (with a license plate that read “2 FAST”), leaving tire marks that spelled out “Lilo and Stitch 2.”
“Should’ve known he couldn’t keep a secret,” the caption read. “A 626 day surprise: #LiloAndStitch 2 is now in development!”
Disney
Despite the movie’s global success, a number of people have criticized its new ending, with some arguing that Lilo’s (Maia Kealoha) older sister Nani (Sydney Agudong) leaving for the mainland ruined the original film’s message and undermined the Hawaiian spirit of family and togetherness.
Director Dean Fleischer Camp addressed criticisms in an interview with Variety on June 7, saying, “I’ve had some time to think about this.”
“I do think that a fair amount of the people who are dunking on that premise have not actually seen the movie, and they write me stuff that is clearly wrong,” Camp told the outlet. “They get the beats of the story wrong. But when you see [it], it doesn’t feel that way at all, and you see the intent of the actual filmmaking.”
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The Marcel the Shell with Shoes On director went on to say that there were “two larger conversations going on” that led the creative team toward the new ending.
“We wanted to expand the meaning of ohana [a Hawaiian word for family and community],” Camp explained, “and ground it in traditional Hawaiian values of collectivism, extended family and community.”
