Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch reigned supreme at the box office for a third consecutive weekend, earning $32.5 million in North America. Its domestic total now stands at $337.8 million and a worldwide total of $772.6 million. With a budget of $100 million, it is one of the most successful films of the year.
Meanwhile, Ballerina, the spin-off of John Wick, has had a slow start. Despite a stellar performance by Ana de Armas and positive reviews, it only earned $25 million in its first weekend in the US. This is below expectations of $30M–$35M, and is the weakest opening for the franchise since 2014.
Internationally, Ballerina earned an additional $26 million, bringing its total worldwide opening to $51 million against a $90 million budget. It has a lot of catching up to do to recover and succeed in the box office.
Despite Ballerina's weak start, overall box office performance was up slightly compared to the same weekend last year. It's clear that Lilo & Stitch continues to reap success for Disney.
If Ballerina's good word-of-mouth continues, there's still hope for it to recover. But for now, Stitch is still the queen (or king) of the box office.
