The Lion King is going to rule the summer in July.
Disney’s much-anticipated live-action (read: all CG) remake of their animated classic is estimated to rake in $150 million-plus on its opening weekend, according to Variety‘s early box office tracking. And that’s on the conservative low-end. The original Lion King in 1994 had a $40 million opening weekend; the new movie will likely earn that amount on opening day.
Jon Favreau’s follow-up to his CG remake of Jungle Book has been primed to be one of this summer’s biggest hits. And while summer box office tracking has been off in recent weeks, experts expect Lion King to help offset the recent slump of franchise fatigue that has crippled sequels or rebootquels Dark Phoenix and Men In Black: International, respectively.
Pre-sales are strong for the Disney title, which is the studio’s third live-action remake of one of its animated films to hit theaters this year. The first was March’s Dumbo and the second was May’s Aladdin. Given the buzz and high awareness among audiences — ’90s nostalgia is more than just a mood, gang — Lion King could surpass Disney’s $174 million opening for their biggest remake, 2017’s Beauty and the Beast.
If the movie only makes $150 million domestic on its opening weekend, it will still be one of the biggest opening weekends ever in July. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 currently holds the top spot among July openers, with $169.2 million.
If any movie can shatter the Boy Who Lived’s record, it’s this one.
Lion King arrives in theaters July 19. Get your tickets below!














