Disney

The box office may have had a bit of a slow start this year, but those dark days are firmly in the rearview mirror. That’s in no small part thanks to a record-breaking Memorial Day weekend led by Disney’s new live-action reimagining of “Lilo & Stitch.” Despite facing some stiff competition from “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” this family-friendly offering absolutely obliterated expectations.

Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, “Lilo & Stitch” opened to a monster $145.5 million domestically over the weekend. Once the Monday holiday is accounted for, that number is expected to balloon to more than $180 million. Heading into the weekend, estimates had “Lilo & Stitch” pulling in around $120 million on the optimistic side. Safe to say, those estimates were rather conservative. Overall, thanks to a $63 million haul from “Mission: Impossible,” the total for all of the movies during the four-day weekend is expected to climb north of $325 million. That represents a new record for Memorial Day, overtaking 2013 when “Fast & Furious 6” led a $306 million frame.

It wasn’t just audiences in the U.S. either, as “Lilo & Stitch” took in a whopping $158.7 million internationally for a $304.2 million global opening. That is, to put it lightly, outstanding. To add some further context, its debut is just below the animated “Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($146.3 million), which went on to earn more than $1.3 billion worldwide. Needless to say, Disney has a massive hit on its hands.

So, what went right here? How did Disney manage to deliver one of the biggest hits of 2025 so far? We’re going to take a deeper look at the biggest reasons why “Lilo & Stitch” managed to dominate the Memorial Day box office. Let’s get into it.

Lilo & Stitch is a straight-up crowd pleaser

Disney

Reviews can always be helpful for a studio blockbuster, but, more than that, it always comes down to audience reception. Case in point: Audiences straight-up loved “Lilo & Stitch.” The movie earned an A CinemaScore, which remains one of the best indicators we have when it comes to how a movie will do in terms of word of mouth. Critically, it was a bit more mixed, with the film currently sitting at 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the audience rating sits at a stellar 93%, which is the bigger factor here.

What it boils down to is that critics generally thought the film was good enough, while general moviegoers ate it up. /Film’s BJ Colangelo called the “Lilo & Stitch” remake “adorable” but “aggressively safe” in her review. For what it’s worth, the 2002 animated original is truly beloved by the generation who grew up with it, so playing it safe clearly was the right move here. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Creatively, some might question why remake a movie in the first place if it’s going to stick so closely to what came before. This record-shattering box office debut is the answer to that question.

The marketing for Lilo & Stitch was on point

Disney

It may seem obvious to say for a movie that opened to more than $300 million globally, but Disney marketed the heck out of “Lilo & Stitch.” Any movie this big is going to get a major promotional campaign, but the brass at the Mouse House managed to effectively convey to audiences why this was a must-see event. They also clearly succeeded in getting younger people on board, perhaps including kids who hadn’t even seen the film’s animated predecessor. In the end, Disney was able to appeal to those who felt nostalgic for something from their childhood while also reaching children of the here and now.

It wasn’t just standard trailers and lobby posters either. “Lilo & Stitch” had a clever Super Bowl trailer that leaned into the hijinks created by the movie’s lovable, titular blue alien. There were also tons of character posters for the film, many of which parodied other Disney movies from the past, particularly ones that have also been given the live-action treatment over the last decade or so. I’m no marketing expert, but it feels like the movies that have truly succeeded in the pandemic era so far are ones that have done something a little out-of-the box. It can be very tough to cut through the noise these days, even for Disney. This proved to be a very effective demonstration of how to not get lost in the crowd.

Lilo & Stitch had the perfect release date

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Holiday release dates are highly coveted within Hollywood, and for good reason. The combination of an extra day off from work (in many cases), combined with an excuse to get out of the house, is often a recipe for bigger-than-usual success at the box office. In the case of “Lilo & Stitch,” Disney couldn’t have picked a better release date than Memorial Day weekend for a variety of reasons.

For starters, it’s been a little while since we had a big family-friendly movie doing major business at the box office. Indeed, the last time that happened was back in early April, at which point “A Minecraft Movie” opened to a massive $163 million. Since then, the big hits that have come have largely been aimed at different and usually older audiences, with the likes of Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” “The Accountant 2,” and, most recently, “Final Destination Bloodlines” having put butts in seats.

As such, “Lilo & Stitch” not only benefited from many people in the U.S. having Monday off but also from the family crowd being evidently hungry for a good reason to get out of the house to go to the movies. To be sure, Disney gave them just that, and they turned out in droves. On top of that, the next big family movie — the live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” remake — doesn’t arrive until mid-June. That means “Lilo & Stitch” will be able to dominate the conversation for a few weeks too.

Disney kept the budget under control

Disney

Even though studios have had a really difficult time keeping budgets under control in recent years, Disney did a damn fine job in that department when it comes to “Lilo & Stitch.” The remake carries a reported $100 million budget, which is obviously a ton of money but still on the lower end for a blockbuster these days. Case in point: Disney’s live-action “Snow White” cost an eye-melting $250 million, which is why it’s going to lose a fortune for the studio. On the flip side, this movie cost far less to make and is going to bring in much more revenue. It’s the ultimate win/win scenario.

That’s not to imply a higher budget means a given movie will sell fewer tickets. After all, most people don’t pay attention to such things. They merely see what they want to see. But a reasonable budget (relatively speaking) is often a signal of a smooth production and, more importantly, it means far better things for the studio’s bottom line. That matters greatly because it means this success will further encourage Disney to invest in movies like this, which can help keep the lights on for theaters in the future. Really, it’s imperative for the long-term health of the industry that Hollywood at large continue to find ways to make big films for less money. “Lilo & Stitch” now exists as a shining example of how to do this the right way.

Lilo & Stitch tapped into early 2000s nostalgia

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It’s been evident for decades that Hollywood is big on using nostalgia to its advantage at the box office. In some cases, that works out remarkably well, such as the multi-generational-nostalgia that helped make “Final Destination Bloodlines” a resounding success recently. Other times, however, that approach bites studios in the butt, like Paramount overestimating the continued interest in the “Transformers” franchise.

In the case of “Lilo & Stitch,” Disney wisely leaned into early 2000s nostalgia rather than looking back to the 1980s and ’90s (as so many studios continue to do). The generation that came of age during that time is now old enough to be out there spending money going to the movies. Targeting people in their late 20s or early 30s helps ensure younger people care about seeing films in theaters. Consistently targeting 40-year-olds and older isn’t the answer.

Just look at Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” remake, which made $1.26 billion in 2017, 26 years after the 1991 animated classic was released. The original “Lilo & Stitch” was released 23 years ago, giving it a similar place in the nostalgia cycle, which seems to be at a sweet spot somewhere along the lines of 25 years in many cases. Disney wisely isn’t purely obsessed with the more distant past anymore, and this was a great example of how to get younger people to care about the larger theatrical experience.

“Lilo & Stitch” is in theaters now.