Walt Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ has been well received in China, tallying a respectable $54.7 million during its weekend Box Office opening.
The film, which stars big names such as Beyoncé and Donald Glover also reigns supreme as Disney’s best weekend opening live-action remake comparing it with figures attached to previous Disney title movies – ‘The Jungle Book ($46.5 million), ‘Beauty and the Beast ($45.2 million), ‘Aladdin ($18.8 million), and ‘Dumbo ($11 million). The Hollywood Reporter records that, half of the film’s China Box Office opening wealth is due to the online buzz it received from online ticket services in China with scores of 8.9/10 on Maoyan, 8.8/10 on Alibaba’s Taopiaopiao and 7.5/10 on Douban.
Estimates coming in from Disney, also indicate that the film had a positive income feedback on IMAX, rounding up a total of $6 million from 618 giant screens, which makes it 21 percent higher than ‘Jungle Book’ and 97 percent higher than ‘Beauty and the Beast.’
Predictions are underway for ‘The Lion King’ as the film is targeted at reaching a whooping $165 million, per Maoyan calculations, a feat which will make it surpass ‘The Jungle Book’ standing on record as Disney’s biggest success in China with a $150 million.
