Box Office: ‘The Lion King’ Roars With Record-Breaking $185M

1. The Lion King (review)- $185M
Any concern that Disney was overdoing with their live-action remakes just got devoured like a pack of hyena on a sick gazelle.  The Lion King roared out of its cage with a record-breaking $185M opening weekend. It can’t be ignored the sheer love people have for this story, regardless of the way it’s being told. The 1994 animated movie, which most critics say was far superior, hence the middling reviews, opened in two theaters and earned an incredible $1.5M, a record that still stands. Of course, it then went on to become one of the most beloved, if not the most beloved, of all Disney classics. I also think the trust audiences have in director Jon Favreau, who proved this photo-realistic tech could work with The Jungle Book, proved to be a huge factor. Worldwide, the brand is just as strong with the film earning $531M overall. It’s also worth noticing which studio has the top three spots this week.
2. Spider-Man: Far from Home– $21M/$319.6M
3. Toy Story 4– $14.6M/$375.5M
4. Crawl– $6M/$23.8M
5. Yesterday– $5.1M/$57.5M
6. Stuber– $4M/$16M
7. Aladdin– $3.8M/$340M
8. Annabelle Comes Home– $2.6M/$66.5M
9. Midsommar- $1.59M/$22.4M
10. The Secret Life of Pets 2– $1.53M/$151.5M