‘The Lion King’ rules, ‘Endgame’ sets alltime box office cash record

LOS ANGELES — If there was any doubt that the 2019 box office belonged to the Walt Disney Co., this weekend put an end to it. Not only did its photorealistic remake of “The Lion King” devour opening weekend records for the month of July and PGrated films, but “Avengers: Endgame” also crept past “Avatar” to become the highestgrossing film of all time.

“The Lion King” this weekend roared into 4,725 North American theaters, where it grossed a stunning $185 million, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Although reviews were mixed for Jon Favreau’s remake of the 1994 animated film, audiences still turned out in droves to hear the Alist voice cast, from Beyonce to Donald Glover, and see the innovative technology that made the film possible.

“We’ve had a spectacular run this weekend,” said Cathleen Taff, Disney’s president of distribution. “We really did know we had something special with (“The Lion King”) given its popularity with fans of all ages.”

Industry experts had pegged “The

Lion King” for a $150 million opening, which turned out to be far too modest a projection. Instead, with $185 million, Disney got a few records to boast about: It’s the ninthbiggest opening of all time, a July record (unseating “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”), and a PGrating record (taking over from “The Incredibles 2”).

It’s the second time this year a beloved Disney brand has overwhelmed a tepid critical response. “Aladdin,” which is still in the top 10 after nine weeks in theaters, has made $989 million globally.

“Certain brands have so much goodwill and equity,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “Reviews clearly didn’t matter at all.”

And, having opened in China a week early, “The Lion King” has amassed over