Overview
- Lilo & Stitch is poised to potentially earn Disney’s first $100 million opening weekend of the year.
- This live-action adaptation is generating optimistic buzz among fans and critics.
- Predictions indicate it will dominate the Memorial Day weekend, especially following Disney’s recent box office struggles in 2024.
Lilo & Stitch is more than just another entry in Disney’s catalogue of live-action remakes; it may well be the film that revitalizes Disney’s fortunes in 2025.
Disney’s Potential Box Office Success with Lilo & Stitch
The original animated film, released in the summer of 2002, grossed an impressive $273 million worldwide against an $80 million production budget. The anticipation for the remake is palpable, particularly following the release of its trailer about a month ago, which garnered a remarkable 158 million views, making it Disney’s second-most viewed live-action trailer to date. The upcoming film will follow a similar narrative arc to that of its predecessor, exploring the heartfelt relationship between Lilo, a young orphan in Hawaii, and Stitch, an alien creature initially engineered for chaos.
While the film is set for release on May 23, early projections from a Deadline report suggest that Lilo & Stitch could achieve a substantial opening weekend exceeding $100 million. This would be a significant turning point from the lackluster performance seen with previous releases in 2024, characterized by combined takings of only $132.2 million from titles like Mad Max: Furiosa and Garfield.
A Promising Outlook for the Live-Action Remake
Although it may appear premature to forecast such success, Quorum’s reliable tracking suggests that Lilo & Stitch could outperform these expectations. Even a more conservative estimate would mark Disney’s first three-day, nine-figure domestic opening of the year, especially considering that Captain America: Brave New World opened over a four-day President’s Day weekend.
To fully grasp the significance of Lilo & Stitch’s projected earnings, it’s crucial to consider the following elements:
- The original animated film’s debut in 2002 fetched $35 million, which was quite respectable at that time.
- Upcoming releases, including Marvel’s Thunderbolts, are only projected to earn around $70 million in their opening weekends.
- Lilo & Stitch will compete for audiences with Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, whose previous installment opened with $62 million in 2018. Awareness levels for both films are nearly equal, and Tom Cruise’s association is a proven box office magnet.
While industry experts are most concerned about the overall performance of this year’s Memorial Day box office compared to past years, particularly aiming to surpass the post-COVID benchmark of $223.7 million set by Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, the clash between Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible could be an exciting one, paralleling rivalries seen in previous years.
For further details, refer to the source: Deadline