Disney’s live-action film Lilo & Stitch has reached a major milestone in the global market. It may not be the highest grossing film of 2025 but it’s still celebrating a big win by breaking the $1 billion mark.
The Billion-Dollar Milestone
$416.2 million from North America and $584.8 million from other countries, “Lilo & Stitch” has officially entered the billion-dollar club with a global gross of $1.001 billion. That’s a big deal for a $100 million budget film, the first Hollywood film of 2025 to reach this coveted milestone. Maia Kealoha plays Lilo and Chris Sanders voices Stitch, her crazy alien friend in this live-action adaptation of the 2002 animated film directed by Dean Fleischer Camp.
The story has global appeal since it’s about family, friendship and a little bit of alien chaos. But here’s the catch: it’s not the highest grossing film of the year. China’s Ne Zha 2, an animated monster with about $1.9 billion in grosses, mostly from its domestic market, takes that title. But Disney still sees the $1 billion gross of Lilo & Stitch as a big win.
Why It’s a Big Deal
For several reasons this is a big deal. First, Lilo & Stitch is only the second film of 2025 to cross $1 billion and it’s the fifth Disney live-action remake to do so, joining the ranks of The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Alice in Wonderland. It’s also the biggest grossing live-action/animated hybrid film, surpassing The Smurfs. The film’s popularity proves the enduring appeal of the original which has gotten over 280 million hours of streaming on Disney+.
With 79% of its opening weekend audience under 35, its appeal has been fueled by nostalgia for the early 2000s especially among Gen Z and millennials. When you add a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” CinemaScore, it’s clear this remake resonated with audiences.
Overcoming Controversy and Competition
Not everyone was a fan of this remake. Changes like Nani going to college at the end and leaving Lilo with community support were not well received by some fans. Director Dean Fleischer Camp explained that this is in line with Hawaiian culture’s emphasis on community over individualism, a point of view influenced by the original director Chris Sanders.
The film got mixed reviews—71% on Rotten Tomatoes and 53/100 on Metacritic—but its box office legs were strong even against summer tentpoles like How to Train Your Dragon. Its record-breaking $183 million opening on Memorial Day weekend, which beat Top Gun: Maverick, set the tone for its global conquest. It also surpassed A Minecraft Movie as the biggest Hollywood film of 2025.
