After dominating the box office this summer with an impressive theatrical run, the live-action Lilo & Stitch remake has now received a Disney+ streaming date. Fortunately for those eager to rewatch the smash hit, they won’t have to wait long to check it out on the streaming service. According to Deadline, Lilo & Stitch will be available on Disney+ on Wednesday, September 3rd — 103 days after it opened in theaters over Memorial Day weekend and broke box office records. In contrast, this year’s live-action Snow White remake debuted on Disney+ only 82 days after its theatrical premiere.
Lilo & Stitch has been available to rent and purchase on various digital platforms since late July, but this marks the first time it’ll be on a streaming service. People will be able to watch the movie for “free” at home — all it costs is your regular Disney+ subscription rate. There’s no extra charge beyond that.
Lilo & Stitch is one of the most successful films of the year. As of this writing, it’s earned $421.2 million domestically and $1.025 billion globally. It ranks second on both charts, behind only A Minecraft Movie in the United States and Ne Zha 2 worldwide. Disney has already announced Lilo & Stitch 2 is in development. Chris Sanders, who voices Stitch and co-directed the original 2002 animated film, is reportedly in negotiations to write the sequel. No release date has been set.
In the wake of the live-action Lilo & Stitch‘s success, the franchise drove viewership on Disney+ this summer. Shortly after the remake opened, the original animated film became the No. 1 movie on Disney+. Multiple spinoffs and sequels were also massive draws on streaming as fans sifted through the vast Lilo & Stitch library and discovered there were more projects out there than they might have expected.
The live-action Lilo & Stitch should be able to replicate the streaming performance of its animated counterparts. If box office disappointments like Captain America: Brave New World and Snow White can become hits on Disney+, then one of the year’s biggest hits shouldn’t have any trouble attracting an audience. After enjoying Lilo & Stitch on the big screen this summer, families will have fun revisiting the movie whenever they want at home. As the viewership figures have shown, there’s a strong amount of interest in the Lilo & Stitch property, and the latest release shouldn’t be any different.
Lilo & Stitch did hit digital two months after it opened in theaters, but it’s notable Disney waited such a long time to put the film on Disney+. In a post-pandemic landscape, 103 days is a long period of time before a movie becomes available on a streaming service. This illustrates the Mouse House doesn’t have a uniform rule it follows for every title; box office performance dictates when a movie will hit Disney+. Lilo & Stitch had strong legs in theaters. It finished in the domestic top 10 for nine straight weekends and held on to the No. 1 spot for three consecutive weeks. There was no need to put it out on streaming quickly, but now that Lilo & Stitch has had its time in theaters, it’s ready to come home.
