A lot of people might think that a holiday weekend is the perfect time for studios to release a big, new movie. Kids are out of school, and many people have the time off work, so why not go see a movie? However, when it comes to Memorial Day weekend, that could not be further from the truth. The holiday weekend that people consider the kickoff to summer has traditionally been one of the worst times to release a new movie. For a wide variety of reasons, families would just rather do other things, like attend barbecues, visit family, or attend sporting events.
However, in an incredible turn of events, Disney has just broken the dismal holiday weekend box office and made history while doing it!
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Back in 2018, Disney confirmed that it was going to expand its live-action remakes to include a remake of the 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch. In recent years, Disney’s live-action remakes have become a point of contention among fans, and Lilo & Stitch was no exception. Stitch has seen a huge resurgence in popularity, and some were worried that the adorable blue chaos-causing alien might be ruined if Disney tried to make him look too realistic.
Those fears were alleviated when Disney began releasing teaser trailers and promoting the film. The film’s creators had perfectly captured what made Stitch special, and they cast the perfect young actress to play Lilo.
Of course, before the film was released, Disney faced a lot of backlash for changes they made to the story — primarily cutting out the character of Captain Gantu and eliminating Pleakley’s cross-dressing scenes.
Despite the initial issues some fans had with the new movie, that did not stop them from heading to the box office over the long weekend, and help Lilo & Stitch make history.
According to reports, Lilo & Stitch is expected to make an estimated $183 million at the domestic box office over the four-day weekend, and a stunning $353 million worldwide. If it reaches those numbers, it will surpass Top Gun: Maverick (2022), and will become the most successful film to be released over Memorial Day weekend.
But the nostalgia for the original animated film is making it a four-quadrant hit, with non-family general audiences comprising 56% of the opening weekend audience while millennials age 25-34 — the demographic that saw the original as kids — are the biggest age cohort at 30%.
Related: ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Director Explains Why Significant Character Was Removed
TheWrap also reports that it will take less than one week for the live-action Lilo & Stitch to become Disney’s highest-grossing movie of 2025, so far.
Two months ago, Disney released its live-action remake of the 1927 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Unfortunately, the movie was riddled with controversy and absolutely tanked at the box office. Snow White has grossed just over $200 million, and the House of Mouse stands to lose more than $100 million on the Rachel Zegler-led flop.
Then, on May 2, Disney and Marvel released their newest film, Thunderbolts*, starring Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The film has grossed more than $350 million in the weeks since its release, but Lilo & Stitch is expected to breeze past that.
Have you seen Disney’s new live-action Lilo & Stitch? Will you be seeing the movie on the big screen, or do you prefer to watch movies from the comfort of your own home? How do you feel about Disney live-action remakes? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
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