Memorial Day weekend 2025 sees a box office rematch between Lilo & Stitch and Tom Cruise, and not only is Disney’s live-action remake set to beat Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning for the number one spot at the box office, but Experiment 626 might take another box office record held by Tom Cruise. Initially set for release on Disney+ in 2024, it was decided to bump Lilo & Stitch to a theatrical release, and Disney gave it the highly coveted Memorial Day weekend slot. In the 23 years since the original Lilo & Stitch, the franchise and particularly the title character, have become one of Disney’s most beloved IPs, one that will pay off big time at the box office.
The Wall Street Journal notes that Lilo & Stitch is projecting a $150 million opening over the four-day Memorial Day weekend. Variety notes it could go up to $160 million or higher. At $150 million, it would easily land the second-biggest Memorial Day opening weekend in history. If it can get an extra $11 million, it will take the record for the biggest Memorial Day weekend opening in box office history from Top Gun: Maverick, which grossed $160 million in 2022. With all that, it is no wonder that Disney is already considering a Lilo & Stitch sequel. Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman told the Wall Street Journal:
“It feels like it’s going to work very well, and it’s the kind of property that lends itself to more.”
Time to Meet the Other 625 Experiments
With a budget of $100 million, Lilo & Stitch is looking to make back its budget in just four days. That is a lot of money that Disney almost left on the table when they initially planned for Lilo & Stitch to be a straight-to-streaming title on Disney+. This is great news for Disney, as it will be a major rebound from the box office disappointment of Snow White. Depending on how well Lilo & Stitch does in its three-day opening, it might take A Minecraft Movie‘s spot as the biggest opening weekend of 2025. It will also mean that three of the top ten biggest Memorial Day weekends belong to Disney, as The Little Mermaid currently sits at the number five spot with $118 million, while 2019’s Aladdin is in seventh place with $116 million.
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Of all Disney’s live-action remakes, Lilo & Stitch seems the most primed for a sequel. Other than Winnie the Pooh, Lilo & Stitch has the most expanded material of any Disney animated classic, with the direct-to-video sequel Stitch! The Movie and its spin-off series, Lilo & Stitch: The Series. Both follow-ups expand the mythology to showcase Jumba’s other 625 experiments that preceded Stitch. Characters like Experiment 624/Angel and Experiment 625/Reuben are fan-favorite, highly merchandisable characters. Bringing in elements from Lilo & Stitch‘s extended universe into sequels sounds like a winning formula for a long-running franchise.
Currently sitting at 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, Lilo & Stitch’s reaction has been mixed to positive from critics. It will make a lot of money at the box office, but how will word of mouth hold up? It is the must-see family film for three weeks until How to Train Your Dragon opens in theaters. With a summer filled with big franchises but no clear frontrunner, there is a good chance Lilo & Stitch might be the biggest movie of the summer in 2025 and the start of a new live-action Disney franchise.
Source: The Wall Street Journal / Variety
- Release Date
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May 21, 2025
- Runtime
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108 Minutes
- Director
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Dean Fleischer Camp
- Writers
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Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Mike Van Waes, Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois
- Producers
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Tom C. Peitzman, Dan Lin, Ryan Halprin
