Hollywood Has Its First $1 Billion Movie of 2025

Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” has just hit a huge milestone. The movie has officially made over $1 billion worldwide, making it the first U.S. film in 2025 to pass that number. The movie, which came out on May 23, has done especially well both in the U.S. and around the world.

It earned $416.2 million in the U.S. and Canada, and another $584.8 million from international theaters. In Mexico, it even became Disney’s highest-earning live-action film ever, pulling in $67 million.

Speaking about the success, Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman said in a statement, “We knew there was a lot of love for ‘Lilo & Stitch’ with audiences around the world, yet we never take that for granted. We’re proud of how this new film has connected with people.”

The movie is based on Disney’s 2002 animated film. Back then, the original didn’t make nearly as much money, finishing its run with $273 million. Over the years, though, the little blue alien Stitch has grown into one of Disney’s biggest franchises.

According to Disney, Stitch now ranks in the top ten of their best-selling brands, standing alongside names like Mickey Mouse, the Disney princesses, Star Wars and Marvel. Last year alone, sales of Stitch-themed products made $2.6 billion.

Before the release of the new movie, Disney said that the “Lilo & Stitch” franchise, which includes animated shows and spin-offs, had been watched for 546 million hours on Disney+, with the original film making up more than half of that. Bergman also said back in May that Stitch’s lasting popularity helped convince the company to move forward with the live-action remake. “The popularity of the little blue alien definitely played a role,” he said.

Disney has now confirmed that a sequel to the live-action movie is already in the works.

“Lilo & Stitch” opened big in theaters, too. Over Memorial Day weekend, the movie earned $183 million in the U.S. alone. That number pushed it ahead of “Top Gun: Maverick” to set a new record for the biggest Memorial Day opening ever.

The movie’s success is part of a larger trend this year, as family-friendly films have been dominating the box office. Earlier in 2025, Warner Bros.’ “Minecraft Movie” earned $955 million globally, and Universal’s “How to Train Your Dragon” live-action film, released in June, has already made more than $564 million.

This new “Lilo & Stitch” movie also adds to Disney’s list of billion-dollar hits. In the past year, other Disney films like Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” Disney Animation’s “Moana 2,” and Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” all crossed the same billion-dollar line.

However, the biggest film in the world right now isn’t from Hollywood. That title belongs to “Ne Zha 2,” a Chinese animated film that has earned over $2 billion, most of it from Chinese theaters.