The Lion King could potentially be the king of the July box office if box office tracking is any indication.
The live-action Disney adaptation entered box office tracking this morning with a potential opening of $150 million+ when it hits screens on July 19. If solid reviews roll in and word of mouth is solid, some even feel that it can eclipse the July box office opening weekend record set by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 which opened to $169.1 million.
As we have seen, tracking has been a bit off this summer but given the success of the live-action Aladdin, I think The Lion King may be even more huge given the talent involved and the universal appeal of the brand. As of now, initial tracking is ahead of Toy Story 4, Aladdin & Incredibles 2 while being tied with Beauty and the Beast. The latter two went on to open to $182.7 million and $174.8 million, respectively.
The Lion King is also heating up in advanced ticket sales. As previously reported, Fandango says it ranks as their second best first day presales of the year after Avengers: Endgame, while Atom Tickets declares it’s their best first-day sales for a family movie.
The Lion King hits screens on July 19
