Disney's live-action film "Lilo & Stitch" (directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp, released June 6th) was released in the US and other countries on May 23rd, ahead of Japan, and recorded the number one start with box office receipts of 183 million dollars (approximately 25.9 billion yen) in the opening four days including Memorial Day (the last Monday in May, Memorial Day) beating out "Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning," starring Tom Cruise, which was released nationwide on the same day (according to Box Office Mojo; 1 dollar = 142 yen, as of May 26th).
In the United States, it surpassed "Beauty and the Beast" (released in 2017, $174 million over the three-day weekend) and "Aladdin" (2019, $91 million over the three-day weekend), achieving the feat of recording the highest box office revenue in the history of Memorial Day in four days. It also achieved a worldwide box office revenue of over $300 million, recording the highest weekend revenue in each country. In addition, it received a high score of 94% (as of May 2nd) on the American film review site Rotten Tomatoes (Audience Score).
Additionally, a special Japan-only video was released in which Stitch answers an interview in a rare serious manner (?) as the "leading cast member." When asked, "What kind of preparations did you make for the filming of the movie?", Stitch confidently replied, "Stitch is Stitch! I just go to the set, and when the director says, 'Action!' I do it, 'Woah!!!'" Furthermore, when asked about the film's huge hit start at number one in the US, beating out "Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning," he happily replied, "Stitch is number one! A big star! I'm so happy that everyone is watching." He also sent a message to Japanese fans who are eagerly awaiting the release of the film, saying, "Stitch loves Japan! Everyone, go see the movie! See you there!"
The film is a live-action adaptation of the Disney animated film of the same name produced in 2002. It is a fantasy set on the island of Kauai in Hawaii, depicting the important bond of "ohana (family)." A young girl named Lilo and her older sister Nani, who have lost their parents, are confronted by Stitch, a rowdy alien who knows no family love. Stitch's unpredictable actions cause chaos on the peaceful island, but this miraculous encounter eventually changes the sisters who were close to losing hope.
In the Japanese dubbed version, Stitch is played by voice actor Koichi Yamadera, Lilo is played by child actress Yuno Nagao, Nani is played by MOMONA from the 11-member girl group ME:I, the voice of the kind-hearted surfer David is played by Kaito Nakamura from the popular group Travis Japan, and the alien Preekly is played by voice actor Yuji Mitsuya.
