“The Lion King” Wins Big at the Domestic Box Office After a Rerelease

2024 may be the most re-releases in a single year ever. In honour of the film’s 30th anniversary, Disney rereleased the beloved animated blockbuster The Lion King this past weekend in over 1,300 domestic theatres. The Lion King was first released in 1994 and made approximately $770 million in its first run of worldwide box office. However, a number of re-releases later in the film’s career have brought its total earnings closer to $1 billion.

This weekend, The Lion King brought in $1 million domestically, with an average of $226 per theatre. Even when compared to recent re-releases, this isn’t a very noteworthy outcome; still, it brings the movie’s total domestic revenue to $421 million and its worldwide total to $986 million. This time, it won’t happen, but maybe by the film’s 40th anniversary, its global gross will surpass $1 billion. The Lion King, which was co-directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, is still regarded as a masterpiece. It ended its initial run as the highest-grossing movie of 1994 and the second-highest of all time, behind Jurassic Park.

It is still the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time, has won two Oscars, and is among the best-selling home video releases. The Lion King is ranked number twelve on the all-time global animated film chart, placing it just outside the top 10. In 2019, a 3D animated remake was produced, with fewer positive reviews and considerably less success at the box office. The Lion King remake, which was directed by Jon Favreau, brought in over $1.6 billion at the end of its global run. Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to that movie, will hit theatres later this year.

The Animated Classic Competed with ‘Inside Out 2’ and ‘Despicable Me 4’

In addition, a Broadway version, a few television spin-offs, and direct-to-digital sequels were all influenced by The Lion King. Jeremy Irons, Rowan Atkinson, James Earl Jones, and Matthew Broderick were among the actors that contributed their voices to the film. Hans Zimmer composed a catchy soundtrack, and Elton John and Tim Rice recorded a timeless soundtrack. On Rotten Tomatoes, an online review aggregator, it has a 92% approval rating that is marked as “fresh.”

In honour of several occasions this year, a number of studios have re-released their beloved films in theatres. In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Ridley Scott’s Alien was reissued, and Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace and The Mummy commemorated their 25 years in theatres. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, all eight live-action Spider-Man films, and Shrek 2 were also reissued to great reviews.