In a notable shift within Hollywood’s box office landscape for 2025, Disney’s live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch” has ascended to the top, surpassing the global theatrical earnings of Warner Bros./Legendary’s “A Minecraft Movie” during its seventh weekend in theaters. The enchanting remake garnered an additional .8 million domestically, elevating its total to an impressive 8.5 million in the U.S. and a staggering 2.7 million worldwide. In contrast, “A Minecraft Movie,” which successfully broke a multi-week drought in the American box office back in April, concluded its run with a global tally of 4 million.
Potential for a Billion-Dollar Milestone
Should “Lilo & Stitch” continue its upward trajectory, it stands on the brink of becoming the first film to cross the billion mark since the release of Chengdu Coco Cartoon’s “Ne Zha 2” during the Lunar New Year. This remarkable film not only achieved the milestone of being China’s first billion hit but also made history as the first animated feature to surpass billion, largely thanks to its enthusiastic Chinese audience. Unless “Avatar: Fire and Ash” experiences an extraordinary performance this winter, “Ne Zha 2” is poised to become the highest-grossing film of the year, marking a significant achievement for non-Hollywood productions.
“Lilo & Stitch” has emerged as a beacon of success amidst a challenging first half of 2025 for Disney. The year commenced with the holiday release of “Mufasa,” which managed to accumulate 2 million globally. However, two Marvel films—“Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts”—fell short of expectations, with global earnings of 5 million and 9 million, respectively.
In recent weeks, Pixar’s “Elio” struggled to find its footing, despite receiving positive word-of-mouth from audiences, grossing only .8 million globally over three weekends. This trend underscores the ongoing challenges faced by original animated films in theaters.
Looking Ahead to a Promising Second Half
The latter half of 2025 promises a brighter outlook for Disney, driven by two major holiday releases: “Zootopia 2,” which aims to join the ranks of “Moana 2” and the original “Zootopia” in the coveted billion club, and “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” which is expected to comfortably surpass the billion threshold, potentially making “Avatar” the second franchise alongside Marvel’s “Avengers” to achieve three billion hits.
Additionally, later this month, Disney will have another opportunity to rekindle interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “The Fantastic 4: First Steps.” This film has already garnered Fandango’s best first-day presales for 2025 and is projected to open with over 0 million. Other upcoming theatrical releases from Disney include the sci-fi thriller “Predator: Badlands” and James L. Brooks’ dramedy “Ella McCay.”
