Movies

The Lion King is Projected for a Gigantic $150 Million Opening Weekend

Disney had an insane 2018 but they didn’t cash in until March this year. Captain Marvel was the first film of the year, and it made Disney a $Billion within a month. Then came Dumbo, which also showed profits. Followed by that was Avengers: Endgame which is still cashing in to become the highest-grossing film of all time. Disney didn’t wanna stop there. Aladdin is running towards a Billion, and so is Toy Story 4. But both of these films are going to be outshined by the live-action remake – The Lion King!

Disney has been running a formula of Marvel Pixar and live-action remakes for quite a while. They have taken it to a whole new level this year! The Lion King is just about to hit the theatres and it sure looks like this is going to be the second-highest grosser of the year for Disney, and perhaps in Hollywood as well. There’s no other upcoming film that could end up beating The Lion King. Yes, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is coming out in December, and there’s the next Jumanji movie as well. But none of those may have the hype that surrounds The Lion King.

The Lion King

The reason behind us claiming is this already is the Box Office projections for the opening weekend. The Lion King is currently looking to open at $150 Million. What’s crazy is that this is the lower end of the predictions, and the domestic numbers by the end of this weekend could also rise as high as $180 Million. If The Lion King ends up making anything more than $153 Million in the next 3 days then it will have the second-highest opening of the year. It obviously won’t beat Avengers: Endgame’s $357 Million. No movie would ever beat that!

The Rotten Tomatoes score of the film stands at 58% Rotten, and it suggests mixed reviews. Those reviews might not matter ultimately. Well, here are some of the verdicts you need to read:

Variety – Peter Debruge

“By focusing his attention on upgrading the look of the earlier film, Favreau reinforces the strength of the 1994 classic. If you were never a fan of The Lion King, then nothing here will win you over. On the other hand, for those too young ever to have seen it, this could be a life-changing experience, one that strives to create a kind of understanding between audiences and the animal kingdom that Disney once made a regular part of its mission, back in the era of films such as The Legend of Lobo and The Incredible Journey. It’s a shame to sacrifice the hand-drawn artistry — which will surely hold up better in the long haul — but those are the terms with this latest wave of remakes, and The Lion King at least honors what came before, using current animation technology to convince us that we’re watching the real thing.”

You can read the full review here.

Lion King 2019

The Hollywood Reporter – Todd Mccarthy

“The more pronounced realism delivers some scenes with a shade more power, notably the sight of the elephants’ graveyard and Simba’s multiple (too many, actually) encounters with the ever-prowling, teeth-baring hyenas; the new vividness no doubt accounts for the shift from a G to PG rating. There’s a spiffy cover of ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight?’ sung by Beyonce (who voices Simba’s childhood friend Nala) and Glover, along with a new Beyonce number, ‘Spirit.’ Perhaps the greatest special effect of all is the luster of the lions’ fur and coats. But by and large, very few remakes, other than Gus Van Sant’s shot-by-shot reproduction of Psycho, have adhered as closely to their original versions as this one does. Everything here is so safe and tame and carefully calculated as to seem predigested. There’s nary a surprise in the whole two hours.”

Here’s the full review of THR.

Lion King 2019

Comicbook.Com – Brandon Davis

“All things considered, The Lion King was not a movie which needed to be remade but its flawless visuals and impressive voice cast’s efforts justify its existence. The emotional punches come as expected, the musical cues carry it through, and [Seth] Rogen and [Billy] Eichner make it truly entertaining. The legacy of the original may in fact be enhanced by the effort to replicate its magic, while a new generation of families is told a hearty, visually gorgeous, and entertaining new story.”

You can read the full review here.

Forbes – Scott Mendelson

“Favreau himself used this technology to better use in crafting a ‘new’ version of The Jungle Book that was pitched to smart kids. This movie conversely feels aimed at dumb adults. I did not demand a new Lion King that was superior to the original, nor do I consider that film to be an untouchable piece of artistic gospel (the stage show has some interesting alterations). But this is merely the same movie with a new coat of paint that renders it less magical. It may be worth seeing once for the visuals, but its redundancy and inferiority has rendered it artistically irrelevant.”

Here’s the full review of Forbes.

The Lion King comes out on July 19.

Vansh Mehra

Content creator. Just wanna share my passion for cinema with everyone.
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