“‘Lilo & Stitch’ is more proof that turn-of-the-century nostalgia is having a moment,” says Shawn Robbins, Fandango’s director of movie analytics.
‘”Lilo & Stitch’ has certainly set a strong precedent, though.” Stitch never goes out of vogue Stitch is apparently a brand unto itself.
Over the last two decades, “Lilo & Stitch” has never waned in popularity on the shelves of toy stores.
Healthy competition Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time that “Lilo & Stitch” faced off against Tom Cruise at the box office.
Movies take several years from inception to completion, so the results of those efforts are finally bearing out at the box office.
A powerful blend of nostalgia, family-friendly characters, and a thriving theatrical market propelled Disney’s “Lilo and Stitch” to a record-breaking $183 million domestically and $341 million worldwide over the Memorial Day weekend.
These ticket sales surpassed “Top Gun: Maverick” from 2022, which made $160 million over the four days and $126 million over the weekend, to become the largest Memorial Day weekend debut in history. And only 2018’s “Black Panther,” which made $242 million over Presidents’ Day, had a bigger start than “Lilo & Stitch” over any four-day holiday weekend.
David A. says, “This is a sensational opening.”. Franchise Entertainment Research’s gross as a film consulting firm. The crowd will enjoy it. “”.
It is also confirmed by “Lilo & Stitch” that Disney simply needs to be pickier about the live-action remakes the studio produces. Its “Snow White” reboot earlier this year failed with $204 million worldwide on a $250 million budget, in part because audiences today don’t find the nearly century-old tale appealing. In the case of the $100 million budgeted adaptation of the 2002 animated film, “Lilo & Stitch,” which made more money in four days than “Snow White” did in its whole run at the box office, that is obviously not the case.
Here are five reasons why “Lilo & Stitch” broke box office records during its first weekend of release.
Your parents’ favorite cartoon, not your great-grandparents’.
“Lilo & Stitch,” a comedy about a crazy alien who crashes in Hawaii and is taken in by a young girl and her older sister, came out in theaters at a perfect distance from the original adventure, which has been a Disney+ family favorite for the past 23 years. Millennials are taking their children to the movies after having a rosy sense of nostalgia for the chaotic blue creature for a considerable amount of time. However, the first movie’s charm hasn’t been forgotten for very long. Previous live-action blockbusters like “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “The Lion King” all used the same strategy: they were based on Disney classics from the 1990s.
In the meantime, the flop films “Snow White,” “Dumbo,” and “Mary Poppins Returns” were based on relatively old books. The original “Dumbo” actually debuted in theaters in 1941, during World War II, before color television was invented. There are some exceptions, such as the 2016 remake of “The Jungle Book,” which made $967 million despite the fact that the original movie had been out for 50 years, and the 2023 version of “The Little Mermaid,” which made $569 million despite the fact that the original underwater musical adventure was well-liked in the late 1980s.
“‘Lilo & Stitch’ is further evidence that nostalgia for the turn of the century is resurfacing,” says Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics at Fandango. Audiences of Gen Z and Millennials showed up in force for [what is] now a rising generational classic. “.”.
Disney recently put a halt to a live-action remake of “Tangled” from 2010, which might be too soon to do again. Nevertheless, Disney’s next venture involves much more recent intellectual property: a “Moana” remake that will hit theaters in the summer of 2026.
Robbins continues, “Disney will undoubtedly explore more remakes of its contemporary library.”. But “Lilo & Stitch” has undoubtedly established a high standard. “”.
Stitching is always in style.
Apparently, Stitch is a brand in its own right. On toy store shelves, “Lilo & Stitch” has remained a popular title for the past 20 years. Pajamas, sleeping bags, Squishmallows, and stuffed animals with stitch themes have made the property one of Disney’s top 10 best-selling franchises, with retail sales of over $2.66 billion in 2024 alone.
Robbins claims that Stitch has evolved into a contemporary brand mascot that is perhaps more well-known and relatable to today’s young families than the studio’s classic characters.
Additionally, studio insiders report that Disney+ has seen a significant increase in viewership each year. With the original accounting for over 280 hours, the franchise has fueled over half a billion hours of streams. That is a great deal of Stitch chaos!
PG films’ power.
healthy rivalry.
It may surprise you to learn that this is not the first time that “Lilo & Stitch” has competed with Tom Cruise at the box office. Lilo & Stitch, an animated film, debuted in second place in 2002, behind the action star’s sci-fi blockbuster, Minority Report. The eighth installment in Cruise’s venerable spy series, “Lilo & Stitch,” debuted with $77 million over the course of four days, placing it first this time over “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.”. Hollywood has realized in the post-pandemic era that successful counterprogramming plays, such as “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” or last Thanksgiving’s trio of “Wicked,” “Gladiator II,” and “Moana 2,” do not eat into box office receipts. Rather, they have contributed to larger group attendance than any one-time achievement could.
“Counterprogramming is not a new idea or a fad; it works for many reasons, including the inherent marketing hook that such a matchup offers,” says Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst.
This weekend brought in the highest Memorial Day weekend total for “Lilo” and “Mission,” with $322 million for all films. More than ten years have passed since this many people attended movies over the holiday season; the previous high of $314 million was set in 2013 and was dominated by “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Fast & Furious 6,” and “The Hangover Part III.”. “”.
Disney has reclaimed its enchantment.
After a difficult post-pandemic run, the film studio has recovered under the leadership of Bob Iger, its CEO, who appears to be hinting that he may never retire. One of the reasons Disney struggled was that it placed too much emphasis on quantity and not enough on quality. Making better movies has been Iger’s top priority since his return in late 2022, even if it means producing fewer of them. Films take years to develop and finish, so the fruits of those labors are now being reaped at the box office. While “Avatar 3” and “Zootopia 2” are anticipated to dominate the box office in the coming months, “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Inside Out 2,” “Moana 2,” and “Mufasa: The Lion King” were four of the biggest releases of the previous year.
Naturally, misfires will occur. Against their respective $180 million budgets, “Captain America: Brave New World” in February and “Thunderbolts” in May will both struggle to make a profit at the box office. The Pixar adventure “Elio,” which isn’t based on any pre-existing IP, is coming out this summer, so the studio has its work cut out for it. Disney, however, typically has more misses than any rival studio. Disney, for example, has already surpassed $2 billion at the global box office this year, despite a number of underperforming films. The Magic Kingdom is the studio’s nickname for a reason.
