Box Office Milestone: ‘Lilo & Stitch' Becomes First Title of 2025 to Cross $1 Billion Globally
Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch has cleared the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, becoming the first Hollywood pic of 2025 to achieve the milestone and cementing its status as the year's top-grossing Western movie both globally and internationally, the studio announced Thursday.
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It finished Wednesday with a domestic tally of $416.2 million and $584.8 million overseas for a worldwide haul of $1.001 billion.
China's Ne Za 2 is the 2025 record-holder overall, with more than $1.899 billion in ticket sales. The vast majority of that film's earnings, or $1.832 billion, are coming from the Chinese box office. (It has earned $20 million in North America.)
Lilo & Stitch, an adaptation of Walt Disney Animation Studios's popular 2002 animated film, has exceeded expectations all along the way since opening over Memorial Day, thanks to families and Gen Zers who grew up on the original title.
The milestone means Disney's film empire has released four billion-dollar films in the past 13 months alone. In addition to Lilo, produced by Rideback, and the Moana sequel, the roster includes 2024 summer tentpoles Marvel Studios' Deadpool & Wolverine ($1.328 billion), and Pixar's Inside Out 2 ($1.698 billion), not adjusted for inflation.
'We knew there was a lot of love for Lilo & Stitch with audiences around the world, yet we never take that for granted, and we're proud of how this new film has connected with people,' Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman said in a statement. 'I'm thankful to our filmmakers, our cast, and all on our Studio team who have made this film such a success, and we look forward to more adventures with these characters ahead.'
Domestically, Lilo & Stitch opened May 23 to a record-breaking $183 million over the four-day holiday, helping to fuel the biggest Memorial Day weekend in history alongside Tom Cruise-starrer Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, from Paramount.
Lilo & Stitch is one of only two films this year to surpass $400 million at the domestic box office, behind Warner Bros.' A Minecraft Movie, which has earned a stellar $955.1 million globally to date, but fell short of gaining membership to the billion-dollar club. It is still ahead of Lilo in North America with total ticket sales north of $423 million.
Overseas, Lilo & Stitch ranks as the top-grossing international Hollywood release of the year, and is the highest-grossing Disney live-action film of all time in Mexico. It is also the highest-grossing film of 2025 across a range of key international markets in Europe (France, Italy, Spain) and Latin America (Brazil), in addition to several smaller markets.
Lilo & Stitch is stiil playing in theaters worldwide, with a sequel already in development. The new live-action film's box office success has reignited global interest in the franchise, driving record viewership of the original animated classic and related content on Disney+, which have been viewed more than 640 million hours on the platform globally.
The all-audience crowd pleaser is the 58th film in history to cross the $1 billion mark globally. Among Disney's other live-action pics, 2019's The Lion King tops the list of best earners at $1.662 billion, not adjusted for inflation.
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