'Lilo& Stitch' joins the billion dollars box office club

When the live-action adaptation of "Lilo & Stitch" came out of the gate on fire, it seemed like a billion dollars was in the mix. Then, it became a bit of a crawl, and we began to wonder if it would fall just short. Of course, at a certain point, Disney was going to keep it in theaters until "Lilo & Stitch" clawed its way across the threshold. You think Disney was going to shrug at the chance to trumpet a billion-dollar movie, especially when it is the first one of 2025?

"Lilo & Stitch" is now the 58th movie to make a billion dollars, but of course inflation is relevant and pertinent in these conversations. Studios don't care, but those of us writing about movies, and box-office success, need to make sure we contextualize financial windfall. It's not easy to make a billion dollars, but it's not as impressive as it used to be.

Will any other Hollywood films join "Lilo & Stitch" in the billion-dollar club? "Jurassic World Rebirth" is off to a strong start. The franchise plays very well overseas, and every "World" movie has made $1 billion. With the way Marvel has been trending, "Fantastic Four" basically has no chance. There are only two other movies we can conceive of matching the feat in 2025. One is basically a lock, and that's "Avatar: Fire and Ash." Never bet against James Cameron. The other is "Zootopia 2." The first film made over $1 billion in 2016. Sequels to popular animated movies often do just as well, if not better, at the box office. 

That's all speculative, though. We know one thing for sure: Stitch made Disney a billion dollars. Sure, Lilo too.

(h/t The Hollywood Reporter)