Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ Remake Is Poised To Make A Lot Of Money At The Box Office During Opening Weekend

Despite a mixed spattering of reviews, Disney’s live-action Aladdin remake managed to pull in $112 million during its Memorial Day Weekend opening. That’s not too shabby for a new take on an old street rat. But if you think those numbers are big, just wait until you hear what analysts are saying about Disney’s next entry in its remaking-cartoon-classics craze: The Lion King. Directed by The Jungle Book‘s Jon Favreau and starring Beyonce, Donald Glover and practically everyone else, the film is expected to do very well in July.

According to BoxOffice magazine, The Lion King is currently tracking for an opening box office total of around $180 to $230 million. These numbers are based on a number of factors, including the largely positive response to the film’s first teaser trailer, Favreau’s return to the director’s chair, the all-star cast and fan nostalgia for the 1994 original animated film. There’s also the fact that, just as Aladdin is looking to do good numbers for Disney, so have other remakes, like Favreau’s Jungle Book and 2017’s Beauty and the Beast.

Of course, these are just predictions and they can totally be wrong. Remember Tim Burton’s Dumbo in March? To date, it has garnered $112 million at the domestic box office and an additional $235 million worldwide. That might sound like a lot, but considering that it had a reported production budget of $170 million, that’s likely not enough wiggle room for the Disney brass.

(Via BoxOffice)