Disney's live-action remakes have had their ups ('Aladdin') and downs ('Cinderella') in the past, and 'The Lion King' is on track to be their most lucrative one yet.
And let's be quite honest, 'The Lion King' is almost a certainty to be 2019's second most successful movie of the year, guaranteed to come in behind Disney's other unstoppable force, 'Avengers: Endgame'.
As of now, Cinemablend have reported that the newest live-action remake is expected to earn Disney somewhere in the region of $201 million (€179) in it's opening weekend, with a total US domestic gross of $650 million (€580). And that figure is likely to spread worldwide, considering how excited fans are to see a new interpretation of the animated classic. The original 'Lion King' was the second-best-selling movie of 1994, coming in just shy of 'Forrest Gump'.
With a cast including Beyonce, Donald Glover, Seth Rogan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, James Earl Jones, and Keegan-Michael Key it's no wonder fans are quite excited. Also, the trailers for the movie have been pretty well-received by fans and critics, unlike 'Aladdin' which left fans confused by Will Smith's non-blue Genie.
While it looks like happy days for Disney, it seems Sony might not be banking on making too much money on a different reboot of their own. According to Deadline, 'Men in Black: International' is set to only make $40 million (€35.6) during its opening weekend in the States. The new entry in the 'Men in Black' universe will see Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth take up the mantle of Will Smith and Tommy-Lee Jones essentially, while Emma Thompson will reprise her role from the original trilogy.
The new entry in the series hasn't set the world on fire with its previous promotional trailers and images, making you wonder if cinema audiences really needed another 'Men in Black' caper. 'Men in Black 3', the latest movie of the franchise, and also the most successful, made $600 million worldwide (€535.4).
'The Lion King' hits Irish cinemas on July 19th, while 'Men in Black: International' arrives next month, on June 14th.