23 Years Later, Tom Cruise and ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Have a Box Office Rematch

Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to be one of the biggest in box office history as two of the biggest movies of the year are set to face off. In one corner is Paramount Pictures’ Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, starring box office savior Tom Cruise in (potentially) the final entry in the iconic film saga. In the other is Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, a live-action remake of one of their most beloved animated films. It’s Stitch vs. Cruise at the box office… but this isn’t the first time.

Despite Stitch starring in only one other theatrically released film, Experiment 626’s previous cinematic outing saw him facing off against Tom Cruise at the box office. In 2002, Tom Cruise’s Minority Report opened the same day as the original Lilo & Stitch. It feels like Tom Cruise and Stitch are destined to be connected, and not just because Mission: Impossible star Ving Rhames also voiced Cobra Bubbles in Lilo & Stitch. Here is how the first box office showdown went, and why, 23 years later, Stitch might have the upper hand against Tom Cruise.

Round 1: 2002’s ‘Minority Report’ vs. ‘Lilo & Stitch’

Walt Disney Pictures

Both Minority Report and Lilo & Stitch opened in theaters on June 21, 2002. Minority Report starred Tom Cruise, who at the time was the biggest movie star in the world, and was directed by Steven Spielberg, the most successful director in cinema history. Minority Report had a great deal of industry clout, as it was an adaptation of a Phillip K. Dick story, the same writer whose work served as the basis of Blade Runner and Total Recall. It was one of the greatest director-star teams, teaming up to adapt one of history’s most prolific sci-fi writers.

Meanwhile, Lilo & Stitch came at an odd time for Disney animation. The Disney Renaissance of the 1990s seemed to have passed, as in the three years since Tarzan, all of Disney’s animated films had underperformed (Dinosaurs) or outright bombed at the box office (The Emperor’s New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire). One of two Disney animated films set for release in 2002, Lilo & Stitch was seen as the B-project to the more technically ambitious Treasure Planet, the passion project of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin directors John Musker and Ron Clements. Lilo & Stitch, by contrast, was an original film with a smaller budget than some of Disney’s other animated films.

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When Minority Report and Lilo & Stitch opened, it was a far closer box office race than many expected. Despite Minority Report taking the number one spot at the weekend box office with $35.6 million, Lilo & Stitch was neck and neck that weekend, grossing $35.2 million. Lilo & Stitch actually won that Friday, earning $12.3 million, but Minority Report narrowly beat it on both Saturday and Sunday. Lilo & Stitch actually sold more tickets during its opening weekend than Minority Report, but because many of those were children’s tickets, they cost less.

By the end of their runs, both Minority Report and Lilo & Stitch were box office hits. Minority Report grossed $132 million domestically and $358 million worldwide on a reported budget of $102 million. Lilo & Stitch brought in $145 million domestically and $273 million worldwide against an $80 million budget. Even though Minority Report grossed more worldwide and earned positive reviews from critics, it was seen as a slight box office disappointment. Lilo & Stitch, on the other hand, was seen as a needed win for Disney animation, and looked even better a few months later when the ambitious Treasure Planet imploded at the box office.

That was 23 years ago, and much has changed for both Tom Cruise and Stitch.

Round 2: A Rematch 23 Years in the Making

Paramount Pictures

2025 will see another Tom Cruise vs. Stitch movie at the box office, yet the circumstances are greatly different. For starters, much has changed for Tom Cruise. In between the release of Minority Report and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Cruise survived what looked like the end of his career in the mid-2000s following a string of box office disappointments, to now rebound as an action star who pushes the boundaries of stunt work and what can be captured on screen. From the later Mission: Impossible films and Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise is arguably the biggest name actor when it comes to delivering spectacle, and with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, he is looking to close the franchise he began back in 1996.

Meanwhile, Lilo & Stitch has gone from the strange outsider of Disney animation to one of the company’s most established names. Stitch is an icon, as for over 23 years, the original Lilo & Stitch has been passed down as a generational modern Disney classic. From a successful television series in the mid-2000s to a constant presence in Disney merchandise, Stitch has never left the public eye. Yet, in a strange twist of fate, the live-action Lilo & Stitch finds itself in a similar boat to its animated counterpart as it follows a downtrend in a particular Disney medium that used to be profitable: Disney live-action remakes.

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Early box office tracking suggests that despite the love Mission: Impossible has held over audiences for years, Lilo & Stitch will come out on top in its opening weekend. This is all money Disney almost missed out on, as Lilo & Stitch wasn’t even supposed to come out in theaters, let alone open against Mission: Impossible. In fact, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning was originally planned to be released three years ago.

This Rematch Wasn’t Even Supposed to Happen

Walt Disney Studios

What is fascinating about another Tom Cruise and Lilo & Stitch box office battle is that this wasn’t even supposed to play out originally. Due to both the COVID-19 pandemic and the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has been delayed four different times, with release dates previously having been set for:

• August 5, 2022
• November 4, 2022
• July 23, 2023
• June 28, 2024

Meanwhile, Lilo & Stitch was initially planned for release as a Disney+ original, like other Disney live-action remakes like Lady & The Tramp, Pinocchio, and Peter Pan & Wendy. This decision came as part of Disney’s plans to refocus on the theatrical side of their film division and downplay Disney+ originals. It was also likely motivated by the fact that, for the most part, Disney remakes based on more recent animated films that modern audiences are nostalgic for (The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin) tend to do better at the box office than remakes of older Disney classics whose target demographic might be older (Dumbo, Snow White).

After 23 years, Stitch and Tom Cruise find themselves competing for the number one spot at the box office. While it hasn’t inspired a Barbenheimer double feature event for some audiences (Mistitch Imposililo? Mission: Stitchpossible? Lilo & Stitch – The Final Reckoning?), it is certainly looking to be a Memorial Day weekend to remember and a significant improvement over 2024’s. Even if they are again facing off for number 1, Stitch and Tom Cruise are working together to get audiences out to the movies.

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