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The Lilo & Stitch live-action movie was taking a huge risk by coming out in theaters, and even being made at all. Over the years, the story of the young Hawaiian girl and her alien friend has become one of the most beloved Disney works to date. Going into the live-action movie, some felt that the animated version was untouchable.
The franchise originated in the 2002 movie Lilo & Stitch. The movie was released theatrically and made an impressive $274.7 million worldwide, a good total for an original animation at the time.
The film followed up with Lilo & Stitch’s Island of Adventure, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has A Glitch, and Lilo & Stitch: The Series. This year’s movie was the first of the films to be in live-action and ended up being well-liked, even touted as one of the best Disney live-action adaptations of all time.
Following this success, Lilo & Stitch 2 has officially been confirmed. There is a lot of information still to come about this sequel, but if one element proves true, it will break a long-held franchise trend.
Lilo & Stitch 2 Will Certainly Go To Theaters After $949 Million Success
Disney Would Be Crazy Not To Do So
Technically, Disney has not announced whether the next Lilo & Stitch movie will go to theaters. The first movie’s $949 million box office haul, however, nearly ensures that this will be the case. Disney realized the franchise’s potential and would want to repeat it, and the company would be misguided to release it any other way.
Lilo & Stitch 2 Will Be The Franchise’s First Sequel To Ever Get A Theatrical Release
The Other Sequels Have Been Straight To At-Home Platforms
If Lilo & Stitch goes to theaters as expected, it will set a franchise first. Up to now, all the Lilo & Stitch sequels have been released directly to home video or Disney Channel. This approach still proved popular for the show, and could have an even bigger audience in this streaming era, but it is not the same as releasing theatrically.
By releasing Lilo & Stitch 2 in theaters, Disney can allow the movie to reach its full potential. If the second film is anywhere near the quality of the first, it will be another big theatrical hit.
Live-Action Lilo & Stitch 2 Could Help More Sequels Get Made
There Is Plenty Of Content To Adapt
So far, only a select few Disney remakes have gotten sequels. This includes last year’s Mufasa: The Lion King, which followed up the 2019 version of The Lion King. Both Mufasa and the eventual Lilo & Stitch 2 will have followed massive box office hits.
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Lilo & Stitch Ending Explained: What Happens To Lilo, Stitch, & Nani
Lilo & Stitch’s remake has a lot of structural similarities to the original animated film, but makes some interesting tweaks to the ending.
This shows that, if a live-action adaptation is successful enough, Disney is willing to make a sequel film. With a whole series to its name, there is more content to adapt with Lilo & Stitch. If Lilo & Stitch 2 is as successful as it has the potential to be, Disney might look into adapting more of this content.
