The Lion King (2019) has broken records for the highest-grossing Disney live-action remake in its opening weekend. The remake is directed by Jon Favreau and is an attempt to make the film as realistic as possible without hiring lion actors and actresses. Which would definitely be a feat that even the harshest critics could tip their hat to. Instead, Favreau opted for the less dangerous CGI for his remake and as with most of the Disney remakes, there has been a mixed reception.
Aside from the change in animation style, there have been very few changes to the plot meaning that many are questioning what the point of the remake was aside from making more money for Disney. Despite all of this, the gross the film is making is continually increasing day by day after an incredible first weekend in the box office where altogether, it made $185,000,000 which overtook Beauty and the Beast (2017) which made $174,750,616 on its opening weekend. While Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin didn’t break any records close to this number, it has made almost $1 billion during its time in the box office which shows its popularity.
Considering the fact that this is Disney’s fourteenth live action remake and fourth in just 2019, it goes to show that despite some controversy, Disney’s business model of re-creating their beloved classics is working to draw people back in to relive the stories they grew up with. Which is a good thing seeing as they are showing no signs of stopping with another plethora of releases on their way.
