Similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney’s live-action remakes of its animated classics delivered mixed results at the box office this year. On one hand was Snow White, which generated a substantial amount of controversy and earned just $205.6 million worldwide. That performance caused Disney to hit the pause button on other live-action remakes, such as Tangled. On the opposite side of the spectrum is Lilo & Stitch. Capitalizing on the nostalgia for the 2002 animated original, the remake became one of the biggest hits of the summer. It’s the only American film this year so far to reach the $1 billion milestone. Unsurprisingly, Lilo & Stitch continues to find success on home media.
Videos by ComicBook.com
According to FlixPatrol, which measures the popularity of titles on various streaming services, the live-action Lilo & Stitch is currently the top movie on Disney+. It has a sizable lead over films such as Thunderbolts* and the Incredibles series. Elsewhere in the Top 10 on Disney+, the animated Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch has a Glitch ranks 7th.
Disney Is Already Developing a Live-Action Lilo & Stitch Sequel
Lilo & Stitch spearheaded a record-breaking Memorial Day weekend when it opened in theaters, pulling in $182.6 million domestically over the extended four-day holiday frame. It didn’t take long for Disney to announce a live-action Lilo & Stitch sequel. No release date for that film has been set, as it’s only in the earliest stages of development. It has been confirmed that Chris Sanders is onboard to write Lilo & Stitch 2. Sanders, of course, is the voice of Stitch and served as a co-writer and co-director of the animated Lilo & Stitch.
Lilo & Stitch is the fourth-highest-grossing Disney live-action remake of all time at the global box office, trailing only Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King. It’s also one of the studio’s better received remakes, netting a fresh 72% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. That word of mouth and passion for the franchise helped propel Lilo & Stitch to the top of the 2025 box office charts. The only film to earn more money at the box office this year is the Chinese animated sequel Ne Zha 2, which just passed the $2 billion mark.
Considering how popular Lilo & Stitch was over the summer, it’s no shock to see it dominate Disney+. When the remake was still in theaters, the franchise was driving viewership on the streaming service as fans discovered there was more Lilo & Stitch content than they might have thought. Now that the remake is available on streaming, fans and family are making time to rewatch it at home. Lilo & Stitch has been on digital since late July, but now people can watch it for “free” as part of their Disney+ subscription.
Lilo & Stitch is firmly established as one of Disney’s most lucrative properties, but it’ll still be interesting to see how the sequel fares at the box office. Some of Disney’s live-action follow-ups haven’t been as successful, including Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Alice Through the Looking Glass. Last year’s Mufasa: The Lion King got off to a slow start before it rebounded and took advantage of weak competition. That said, the safe money right now would be on Lilo & Stitch 2 becoming a massive hit like its predecessor. With Sanders involved, he’ll make sure there’s a great story at the sequel’s core, which will help it connect with audiences.
Most Viewed
-
image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
Image courtesy of Prokino Filmverleih
