Los Angeles, July 18 (UNI) Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Lilo & Stitch” has officially crossed the coveted $1 billion benchmark at the global box office, securing its position as 2025’s highest-grossing Western film to date, the studio has announced.
It finished Wednesday with a domestic tally of $416.2 million and $584.8 million overseas for a worldwide haul of $1.001 billion, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
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.)
Adapted from the 2002 animated favourite, the new “Lilo & Stitch” has exceeded projections since its Kemorial Day weekend debut, drawing multigenerational audiences, particularly Gen Z viewers nostalgic for the original, along with families craving evocative storytelling.
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.”
The film debuted with a historic $183 million over the four-day Memorial Day holiday, fuelling what became the highest-grossing Memorial Day weekend in box office history, aided by Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”.
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 still 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.
