LOS ANGELES—“The Lion King” rode its circle of life into a second weekend atop the box office.
Disney’s photorealistic remake of the Hamlet-themed tale of Mufasa, Simba, and Nala, featuring the voices of Donald Glover and Beyoncé, brought in $75 million in North America, according to studio estimates on July 28. Its domestic total of $350 million makes it the year’s fourth highest-grossing film after just 10 days of release.
“‘Lion King’ has appealed to everyone, that’s a second-weekend gross that would be the envy of most films on their opening weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.
The two-week take is also a sign that audiences are not yet feeling fatigue for Disney’s live-action remakes in a year that has already seen “Dumbo” and “Aladdin.”
“The idea that remake burnout would be in effect for ‘The Lion King’ has not proven true,” Dergarabedian said. “Some brands are inoculated from that kind of negative speculation.”
That’s even more good news for the ever-dominant Disney, with a live-action “Mulan” slated for early next year and more remakes in the planning stages.
“Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood” finished a distant second with $40 million in its opening weekend for Sony.
The rest of the box office top 10 remained essentially unchanged from a week earlier. Sony’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” was third with $12.2 million in its fourth weekend and has earned a cumulative $344 million, “Toy Story 4” was fourth with $9.8 million, and “Crawl” fifth with $4 million.
“The Lion King” could reign for a third week. With major summer releases slowing as fall approaches the only real competition it has opening next weekend is “Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw.”
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “The Lion King,” $75.5 million ($142.8 million international).
2. “Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood,” $40.3 million.
3. “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” $12.2 million ($21 million international).
4. “Toy Story 4,” $9.8 million ($19.4 million international).
5. “Crawl,” $4 million ($3.4 million international).
6. “Yesterday,” $3 million ($3.6 million international).
7. “Aladdin,” $2.8 million ($7.2 million international).
8. “Stuber,” $1.7 million ($1.6 million international).
9. “Annabelle Comes Home,” $1.56 million ($3.7 million international).
10. “The Farewell,” $1.55 million.
___
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to Comscore:
1. “The Lion King,” $142.8 million.
2. “Ne Zha” $83.1 million.
3. “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” $21 million.
4. “Toy Story 4,” $19.4 million.
5. “Looking Up,” $17.3 million.
6. “Aladdin,” $7.2 million.
7. “The Secret Life of Pets 2,” $7.2 million.
8. “Dancing Elephant,” $5.2 million.
9. “Annabelle Comes Home,” $3.7 million.
10. “White Storm 2: The Drug Lords,” $3.68 million.
