Stitch (voice of Chris Sanders) and Lilo (Maia Kealoha) in “Lilo & Stitch.”
Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Disney’s live-action version of Lilo & Stitch has finished playing in North American theaters after a blockbuster run at the domestic and international box office.
Lilo & Stitch, of course, is the live-action adaptation of the 2002 animated Disney classic of the same name. Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, Lilo & Stitch stars Maia Kealoha as Lilo, a lonely orphaned 6-year-old girl who is being raised by her teen sister, Nani (Sydney Agudong). Lilo’s life is turned upside down when she adopts a furry blue creature from an animal pound that she believes is a dog, but it turns out to be an alien experiment gone awry.
And while Lilo’s new companion, whom she names Stitch (voiced by the animated film’s voice actor and director, Chris Sanders), causes complete chaos, the girl and Nani also realize that he is helping the sisters become a family.
Lilo & Stitch opened in theaters on May 23 and is currently available on video on demand and Disney+. According to The Numbers, Lilo & Stitch ended its domestic run in theaters on Oct. 2, when it earned $186 in its 133rd day of release to bring its North American box office total to $423,778,855. Combined with the film’s international ticket sales of $613,268,288, Lilo & Stitch’s worldwide box office gross was $1,037,047,143.
Lilo & Stitch’s production budget was $100 million and “roughly $100 million” was spent on the film’s worldwide marketing campaign, Variety reported prior to the film’s release in theaters.
While the percentage of earnings studios split with theater owners can vary, generally it is a 50-50 split. Using that standard formula, if Disney split ticket earnings for Lilo & Stitch with theater owners down the middle, then the studio grossed roughly $518.5 million from the production.
Once the $200 million the studio spent on production and marketing costs is deducted, it leaves Disney with a net profit of about $318.5 million. This number, however, does not take into account how much the studio is paying out in residuals and other miscellaneous expenses.
Stitch (voice of Chris Sanders) in “Lilo & Stitch.”
Disney Enterprises, Inc.
A ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Sequel Is In The Works
After the massive success of the live-action version of Lilo & Stitch, it should come as no surprise that Disney is already developing a sequel.
The studio didn’t wait until the end of the film’s run in theaters, however, to make the announcement. On June 26, Disney announced in an Instagram post that the studio is developing Lilo & Stitch 2, but didn’t give any other details.
The June 26 — or 6/26 — announcement has a special meaning, The Hollywood Reporter pointed out, because Stitch is referred to as “Experiment 626” in the film.
Rated PG, Lilo & Stitch — which also stars Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Courtney B. Vance, Amy Hill and Kaipo Dudoit and the voice of Hannah Waddingham — is available to stream on video on demand and on Disney+.