LOS ANGELES, July 22, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The roar of “The Lion King” rattled
the cinematic world Sunday as the new Disney film scored a huge debut in
North American theaters with an estimated $185 million for the three-day
weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported.
It was frosting on the cake for Disney, whose “Avengers: Endgame” is on
the verge of passing “Avatar” as the all-time most money-making movie. Disney
said Friday it expected that to happen this weekend, although Exhibitor
Relations’ figures showed it still slightly short of the record.
“The Lion King,” director Jon Favreau’s update of the classic 1994
animated film, notched the biggest domestic launch ever for a PG-rated film,
and an all-time record for a July release, the Hollywood Reporter said.
Worldwide, the movie has passed the half-billion-dollar mark.
The film employs hyper-realistic computer-generated images and has a voice
cast including Donald Glover as Simba and Beyonce as Nala, as well as Seth
Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor and James Earl Jones.
Well back in second place was Sony’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” at $21
million. The latest installment in the blockbuster franchise picks up where
“Avengers: Endgame” left off, with Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
atop a cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Jake Gyllenhaal — and
Favreau.
In third was “Toy Story 4,” taking in $14.6 million in its fifth week out.
The family-friendly Disney/Pixar animation features the voices of Tom Hanks
(Woody) and Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear).
Fourth spot went to Paramount’s “Crawl,” at $6 million. The disaster
thriller tells the story of a father and daughter (Barry Pepper and Kaya
Scodelario) battling hungry gators after a hurricane hits their Florida town.
And in fifth was Universal’s “Yesterday,” at $5.1 million. The sweet
comedy is based on the entertaining if fantastic premise of a struggling
musician (Himesh Patel) being one of the only people on Earth who remembers
the Beatles. Singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran has an amusing cameo.