LOS ANGELES: Disney’s “The Lion King” shocked everyone with a huge box office opening this weekend.
The film, which is a reboot of the studio’s 1994 animated classic, has made an estimated $531 million worldwide in 10 days of release.
It includes an estimated $185 million opening this weekend in North America. Analysts had projected that the film would make around $150 million for its domestic opening.
“The Lion King” also made $98 million in China — the world’s second-largest movie market.
Directed by Jon Favreau, “The Lion King” has an all-star cast that includes Beyoncé, Donald Glover, John Oliver and Seth Rogen all lending their voice work to the film.
The film is the 9th highest-grossing opening ever, the biggest opening for the month of July and for a PG-rated film.
The film was also the second-highest-grossing opening of the year behind “Avengers: Endgame,” which this weekend passed ‘Avatar’ as the biggest box-office blockbuster ever.
“The Lion King” is another huge hit for Disney. The company has dominated the 2019 box office and now owns five of the top ten highest-grossing films of the year.
