Box Office: 'Lion King' Biting Off Huge $180M-$200M in U.S. Bow

The box office — where 2019 revenue is running 9 percent behind last year — could use a boost.


Jon Favreau's The Lion King is feeling the love at the North American box office, where it could score the biggest opening ever for a Disney update of a classic animated film, according to early Friday returns.


The movie looks to earn as much as $75 million to $85 million Friday for a weekend haul of $180 million to $200 million.


Either way, Simba and crew now appear destined to deliver the second-biggest opening of the year at the troubled domestic box office, where revenue is down 9 percent over 2019.


In late March, Marvel and Disney's final Avengers installment debuted to a record-shattering $357.1 million domestically, the biggest start of all time. In terms of other 2019 pics, Captain Marvel opened to $153.4 million in March, while Toy Story 4 launched with $120.9 million last month (both films are likewise from the Disney empire).


The Lion King is also poised to score the top opening for the month of July, besting the final Harry Potter pic ($169 million), not adjusted for inflation.