‘Lilo & Stitch’ Beats the MCU’s Overrated 79% Rotten Tomatoes Blockbuster at the Domestic Box Office

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There was a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe used to take risks, but that time has mostly passed. These days, the franchise is fielding criticism for releasing a series of homogenized superhero movies that mainly follow the same template, barring a few exceptions. The MCU could do with a movie like Iron Man 3 at this stage; even though the film divided critics and fans, at least it got them talking. The final solo film featuring Robert Downey Jr.‘s career-defining character, Iron Man 3 made over $1 billion worldwide. It has now been overtaken at the domestic box office by another Disney film poised to join it in the coveted $1 billion club.

On its 47th day of release, Lilo & Stitchgrossed just over $1 million at the domestic box office, and overtook the $409 million lifetime domestic haul of Iron Man 3. Directed by Shane Black, the superhero movie earned mostly positive reviews — it holds a 79% score on Rotten Tomatoes — but was criticized by fans for its portrayal of the villainous Mandarin. It was revealed in the film’s third act that the character, played by Ben Kingsley, was merely a front for the actual villain, played by Guy Pearce. Marvel seemed to course-correct years later, by portraying a comics-accurate Mandarin in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He was played by the Hong Kong icon Tony Leung in the film, which also brought back Kingsley’s version of the character.

Even though Iron Man 3 was his final solo film in the MCU, Downey Jr. returned as Iron Man in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Captain America: Civil War, and finally, Avengers: Endgame. He’s now set to return to the franchise as Doctor Doom, in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Meanwhile, Disney has also set a sequel to Lilo & Stitch in motion. Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, the movie is on the verge of passing the $1 billion mark worldwide, and is currently sitting on $976 million.

A remake of the animated original that was released in 2002, Lilo & Stitch received mixed reviews but high praise from fans, although its critical reception was noticeably less enthusiastic. It holds a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Recapturing the adorable charm of the original if not quite matching its rambunctious sense of imagination, Lilo & Stitch emerges out of the crate as one of the better live-action remakes of a Disney classic.” You can watch the movie in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

“}]] Disney’s Lilo & Stitch live-action overtakes one of the most overrated MCU blockbuster hits at the domestic box office.  Read More