‘Lilo & Stitch’ Box Office Mayhem: All the Records Broken as Pic Zooms Past $400M Globally

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Talk about threading the needle perfectly.

Just a week ago, it would have been unthinkable that Disney’s live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch would break box office records and rake in an impressive $182.6 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend, with $146 million earned during the regular three days. Internationally, this live-action revamp of the 2002 animated film about a Hawaiian girl and her mischievous, dog-like alien exceeded all expectations by starting off with an impressive $178.6 million, resulting in a global opening weekend of $361.2 million against a net budget of $100 million.

As a gamer, I’m ecstatic to share that our game has achieved another significant milestone today! We’ve surpassed the $400 million mark worldwide, with an impressive $200 million earned right here at home in just six days. That’s more than some classic Disney live-action remakes managed in their entire lifetime runs. To put it into perspective, we’ve already outperformed the global box office of 2002’s animated “Lilo & Stitch,” unadjusted for inflation, with a total of $273.1 million. On top of that, we’re giving Warner Bros.’ blockbuster “A Minecraft Movie” a run for its money, at least in North America. In just six days, “Minecraft” had only managed to earn $193.2 million domestically. We’re setting some serious records here!

As a devoted movie enthusiast, I can confidently say that finding another film as captivating as Lilo & Stitch is quite challenging. In fact, three weeks before its release, it was predicted to open domestically to a staggering $120 million. A week later, this number skyrocketed to $145 million, and on the eve of its May 23 U.S. debut, it reached an incredible $165 million. It’s rare to find such a title bursting onto the scene like that, possibly because many people didn’t realize that Lilo & Stitch isn’t just a kids’ movie. Instead, the opening weekend audience was comprised of 57% non-families, demonstrating that this property holds a sacred place in the hearts of Gen Zers and younger Millennials, often referred to as “Zillennials.

Movies based on universally appealing themes, such as PG-rated family films, have the power to draw in a wide range of viewers. For instance, this year’s highest-grossing film, A Minecraft Movie, is a testament to that fact. Similarly, this applies to other popular movies like A Super Mario Bros. Movie, Wicked, and even Disney’s Aladdin.

Movies that everyone can enjoy are like a magic formula for drawing crowds, and films such as Minecraft, Super Mario Bros., Wicked, and Aladdin have all proven this by attracting large audiences.

The accomplishments and impressive achievements of Lilo & Stitch, unaltered by inflation, are listed below.

Below you’ll find the notable accomplishments and feats of Lilo & Stitch, without taking into account inflation.

Top Memorial Day Opening of All Time

Tom Cruise realized that “Mission: Impossible” wouldn’t outperform “Lilo & Stitch,” but he probably didn’t foresee a charming extraterrestrial character dethroning his 2022 film, “Top Gun: Maverick,” as the highest-grossing Memorial Day debut in history (earning $160.5 million). Other notable Memorial Day box office champions include “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” ($139.8 million), “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” ($127 million), and “X-Men: The Last Stand” ($122.9 million).

Second Biggest Opening Ever for Any Four-Day Holiday

In North America, Lilo has earned the second-highest four-day holiday weekend gross in history, with earnings only surpassed by the $242 million opening weekend of Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther over Presidents Day weekend in 2018. The biggest opening for a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is held by Bad Boys for Life (2020) with $73 million, while Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) holds the record for Labor Day weekend with $94.7 million.

Third Biggest Opening Ever for a Disney Live-Action Reimagining

Among recent releases, only “The Lion King” (2019) and “Beauty and the Beast” (2017) have managed to debut with higher domestic earnings, with “The Lion King” leading the pack at $192 million. If not for an industry rule focusing on three-day numbers, “Lilo” would be the second highest opening for a Disney live-action film. Despite this, it marks only the fifth such film to surpass $100 million domestically, following “Alice in Wonderland” (2010) and “The Jungle Book” (2016). On a global scale, “Lilo” has already outperformed the total earnings of “Snow White” (2025), “Alice Through the Looking Glass” (2016), and “Dumbo” (2019) with ease.

Fifth Biggest Monday of All Time Domestically

On Memorial Day, “Lilo & Stitch” raked in a massive amount for a Monday, earning $36.6 million at the box office. This impressive figure positions the film among the elite, as it surpasses only a handful of other movies with their top earnings: 2018’s “Black Panther” ($40.2 million), 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($40.1 million), 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($37.1 million) and 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” ($36.9 million). Previously, the top spot was held by “Top Gun: Maverick,” but “Lilo” managed to outdo it with $33.8 million in ticket sales.

Second-Best Domestic Opening of the Year so Far

Due to the fact that movie earnings are primarily determined by their three-day weekend earnings, Minecraft currently holds the highest domestic opening of the year so far. Lilo’s initial three-day gross was $146 million. The Minecraft Movie, which earned $162 million upon release, has amassed a global total of $940.7 million to date. It seems doubtful that it will be the first Hollywood film in 2025 to reach the billion-dollar box office club. Could Lilo & Stitch potentially achieve this milestone instead?

Biggest Disney Live-Action Opening Ever Across Latin America

In Latin America, Lilo & Stitch made a stunning debut, setting a new record as the highest opening for any Disney live-action remake. Mexico was the standout market with earnings of $27 million, followed closely by Brazil with $12.2 million in third place. Europe also showed strength, with the U.K. taking the lead at $17 million. The film’s international launch of $178.6 million ranks as the fourth-largest ever for a Disney live-action release.

Seventh-Best Opening of All Time for Any PG Title

The movie “Lilo & Stitch” has made it to the top ten list of highest-grossing openings for PG-rated films. Out of these ten, eight are from Disney, with “The Lion King” (2019), “Incredibles 2” (2018) and “Beauty and the Beast” leading the way, having earned $182.7 million, $182.7 million, and $154.2 million respectively. The “Minecraft” film from Warner Bros. comes in fourth place. After that, it’s back to Disney with “Inside Out 2”, which made $154.2 million upon release. Following close behind is Universal’s hit movie, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which earned a whopping $146.6 million. “Lilo & Stitch” ranks next with an opening weekend gross of $146 million. Three more Disney releases follow: “Moana 2” (2024), “Finding Dory” (2016) and “Frozen II” (2019) which made $140 million, $135 million, and $130 million respectively.

‘Lilo & Stitch’ and ‘Mission: Impossible’ Fuel Biggest Memorial Day Picnic of All Time

Over the recent summer holiday weekend, Disney’s live-action remake and Tom Cruise’s last Mission: Impossible movie broke the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time. The total sales from all films during this period reached close to $330 million. Previously, the Memorial Day weekend with the highest overall earnings was in 2013 when Fast & Furious 6 earned $117 million and The Hangover Part III took home $50 million.

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2025-05-28 22:55