'The Lion King' remake is projected to far outpace the original at the box office in its opening weekend, but will face a tougher battle after
- Disney's "The Lion King" remake is projected to earn between $150 million and $175 million domestically this weekend.
- The 1994 animated original opened with $88 million, after being adjusted for inflation.
- But the original ultimately earned over $800 million (after inflation) throughout its entire theatrical run in the US, which will be hard to beat.
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Disney's "The Lion King" remake will rule the box office this weekend and likely far outstrip the original, even after inflation.
The movie is expected to be another win for Disney, which has dominated this year. Disney has made 35% of the domestic box office so far, not including movies released after the Fox merger, according to Box Office Mojo (via The Los Angeles Times).
The 1994 animated original was a huge hit, too. It earned $88 million in its opening weekend, after being adjusted for inflation, according to data from Box Office Mojo. It ultimately scored $672 million domestically, after inflation, in its initial theatrical run. That increased to $803 million after the movie returned to theaters in November 1995. It made $968 million worldwide (unadjusted).
But the remake, which opens Friday, is projected to have an even bigger opening of between $150 million and $175 million in the US, according to the Times, despite poor reviews. If it opens on the higher side of that projection, it would be the second-biggest opening of the year so far, beating "Captain Marvel" and only behind "Avengers: Endgame."
"The Lion King" will almost certainly beat its predecessor in its opening weekend, but the odds of it outgrossing the original's adjusted domestic earnings are slimmer.
Only two movies have grossed over $800 million domestically (before inflation), and those are "Endgame" and "The Force Awakens." Three more have made over $672 million: "Avengers: Infinity War," "Black Panther," and "Avatar."