Box Office: Lilo & Stitch presales beat A Minecraft Movie, achieving best first day for PG film in 2025

Disney’s Lilo & Stitch is off to an explosive start at the box office. The live-action adaptation of the beloved 2002 animated film has achieved the best first-day advance ticket sales of any PG-rated entry in 2025, according to Fandango. The film, slated to open on May 23, has outpaced early presales for other major family-friendly titles this year, including A Minecraft Movie, Snow White, Dog Man, and Paddington in Peru.

The performance is a major corroboration of Disney CEO Bob Iger’s recent statement that “tracking is enormous” for the film. In fact, Lilo & Stitch has also become the second-best first-day ticket preseller for any Disney live-action movie on Fandango at the same stage in the sales cycle, trailing only 2019’s The Lion King.

This surge in presales comes as box office forecasts predict a stellar Memorial Day weekend for the film. Industry analysts expect Lilo & Stitch to bring in around USD 120 million over the four-day frame, despite competition from Paramount’s Mission: Impossible — Final Reckoning. The latter film is projected to earn USD 80 million. If these forecasts hold, the overall holiday box office could hit a record-breaking USD 200 million.

Jerram Hainline, EVP at Fandango, praised the enthusiasm surrounding the film: “Lilo & Stitch has captured the hearts of families for years, and now audiences can relive the magic of their story with a fresh and heartwarming new tale. It is no surprise that audiences are racing to our platform to secure their tickets.”

The momentum for Lilo & Stitch is also validating Fandango’s 2025 Moviegoing Trends and Insights Study, where the film ranked among the top 10 most anticipated arrivals of the summer based on a survey of over 5,000 ticket buyers.

Trailer HERE:

Meanwhile, Disney’s confidence in its coming slate remains high. During Wednesday’s earnings call, Iger noted that the studio’s 2026 lineup is “as strong as any slate I’ve seen in a long time,” citing 2019 as a benchmark year.

With strong advances, enthusiastic tracking, and family appeal, Lilo & Stitch is poised to make a major splash when it hits theaters later this month.

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