(NewsNation) — Disney used 6/26 Day (or Stitch Day) to announce the sequel to the live-action “Lilo & Stitch.”
The studio went on social media to announce the sequel, posting a video where Stitch is driving a hot-pink convertible through the Disney lot. In it, he is shouting, “Get ready. Here we go!” June 26 is considered “Stitch Day” each year because, in the film, Stitch is first referred to as “Experiment 626.”
This comes as “Lilo & Stitch” has grossed more than $910 million at the global box office since its release on Memorial Day weekend. In 2024, Disney allegedly sold $2.6 billion worth of merchandise that featured characters from the animated film.
“Lilo & Stitch” has been one of the most successful live-action remakes for Disney, similar to “The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin.” However, other live-action remakes, like “Snow White,” didn’t do as well.
‘Snow White’ live-action surrounded by controversy
Disney’s “Snow White” live-action remake only brought in around $42.2 million during the opening weekend, with a reported production budget of $269 million. It has a 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to “Lilo & Stitch” at 71%.
Many have blamed the film’s star, Rachel Zegler, for the low box office numbers. The son of producer Marc Platt, Jonah Platt, criticized Zegler on the podcast, “Being Jewish,” for “dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting a movie.”
It was reported that Marc Platt had to travel to New York City to ask Zegler to remove a post she made about freeing Palestine on the release day for the “Snow White” trailer. Zegler has also posted about President Donald Trump and his supporters, saying, “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.”
However, despite the theater release not being that spectacular, once it was released on streaming, “Snow White” did become Disney+’s No. 1 movie.