It’s been a good year to date for Disney, and it looks set to continue. With Lilo & Stitch proving to be a rare live-action success for the studio, it’s also now officially the first MPA film to cross the billion-dollar line this year. To tell us more, we have an expert entertainment attorney at Blake & Wang P.A., Brandon Blake.
First of the Year
Although Chinese animation Ne Zha 2 was the first film to make a full billion this year, eventually closing over $2B, no Hollywood title has yet crossed that mark. Lilo & Stitch is the first studio film to reach that milestone this year, with $416M domestic and an extra $584.8M globally- and it is still in theaters, in its 8th week. This is after a record-breaking $183M opening weekend domestically. This makes it the top MPA movie of the year (so far). It’s also the highest-grossing Disney live-action film in several markets, including Mexico, and Latin America has contributed just under $200M of the total takings.
More to Come
This exceptional reception has also put a Lilo & Stitch sequel into the works, and could be a new invigoration of the franchise for Disney. The original animation has also seen immense traction on Disney’s streaming services, racking up over 640M hours over recent months.
It’s been a great year for Walt Disney Studios, for sure. Having released four billion-dollar films in the span of just 13 months (Moana 2, Inside Out 2, and Deadpool & Wolverine fill out the list), the studio is riding a high that must be very welcome after a spate of lackluster and under-performing releases in the post-pandemic period and the rise of superhero fatigue at the box office. Now, let’s see if the momentum continues into the end of the year.
Film and Television 