The king of the global box office for 2025 has been crowned, and it belongs to none other than an adorably blue gremlin. After an impressive run at the global box office, including a US$610 million haul in its second weekend that climbed to US$850 million in its fourth, Disney’s live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch is now the first Hollywood pic to clear the US$1 billion mark globally.
The reimagination of the 2002 animated classic finished with a domestic tally of US$416.2 million and US$584.8 million overseas, bringing its total to US$1.001 billion. Considering how it has exceeded expectations right from the beginning, the milestone is hardly surprising, serving as a fourth billion-dollar release to Disney’s film empire in the past year, comprising Moana 2 (US$1.059 billion), Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine (US$1.3 billion), and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 (US$1.7 billion), not adjusted for inflation.
Still, China’s blockbuster Ne Zha 2 remains the reigning record holder overall, with more than US$1.899 billion in the bank. This puts it above juggernaut franchises like Star Wars, Avengers, and Jurassic Park on a global scale, even if the vast majority of its earnings are from the Chinese market. In light of its success, distributor A24 and CMC Pictures have announced a rare collaboration on an English-language version of the animated darling, featuring Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh in a lead voice role.
Lilo & Stitch joins Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft Movie in the live-action big boys club for 2025, the latter of which has grossed US$955.1 million globally to date. Starring Maia Kealoha as Lilo in her theatrical debut, the Dean Fleischer Camp-directed film follows the titular girl who befriends an on-the-run alien genetically engineered as a creature of destruction. A sequel is currently in development.
The original feature was helmed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, who also worked on the How to Train Your Dragon animated movies for DreamWorks, and reunited on Universal’s live-action debut as executive producer and director-writer, respectively.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
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