‘The Lion King’ Is STILL a Box Office Hit
On June 24th, 1994, The Walt Disney Company released arguably the best movie of the Disney Renaissance, The Lion King.
Now, more than 30 years later, whenever Disney re-releases the film, audiences still want to watch it in theaters.
In fact, it just happened again this past weekend. Yes, The Lion King is still a box office hit. Let’s talk about what just happened.
Déjà vu All Over Again
When The Lion King debuted 30 years ago, it instantly became one of the most popular movies ever.
The film earned a whopping $313 million during its initial release phase, which was the seventh-largest total ever at the time.
![Zazu Lion King](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/zazu-lion-king.png)
![Zazu Lion King](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/zazu-lion-king.png)
Photo: Disney/ Lion King
The Lion King only missed surpassing Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by $3.5 million, and it DID beat Empire Strikes Back.
For an animated film to perform at that level was legitimately unprecedented.
![Festival Seminar](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Lion-King.jpg)
![Festival Seminar](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Lion-King.jpg)
Photo: Lion King
As a point of comparison, this was nearly 50 percent better than Beauty and the Beast.
Obviously, when animated films do that well, they tend to receive re-releases.
Depending on how you count, The Lion King has had a minimum of four re-releases and arguably twice that.
Importantly, I’m not including the live-action remake of The Lion King, which is an even bigger blockbuster.
![The Lion King](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/The-Lion-King.jpg)
![The Lion King](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/The-Lion-King.jpg)
Image: Walt Disney Studios
That title grossed $1.663 billion worldwide, while the original version has reached $985 million.
So, the two versions of the beloved Disney story about Simba and Nala have tallied more than $2.6 billion in box office…and still going!
![Lion King](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Disney-please.gif)
![Lion King](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Disney-please.gif)
Photo: Lion King
I say this because Disney re-released the film yet again this past weekend.
Somehow, a 30-year-old title finished in tenth place in the box office, as The Lion King earned another $1.076 million.
![The Lion King](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/21lionking-notebook1-superJumbo.jpg)
![The Lion King](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/21lionking-notebook1-superJumbo.jpg)
(Disney)
Yes, this week’s biggest box office blockbusters were Despicable Me 4, Longlegs, Inside Out 2, and…1994’s The Lion King.
Disney fans really love to watch Scar receive his comeuppance. Decades later, we’re still not tired of it.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/lion-king-circle-of-life-sunrise.png)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/lion-king-circle-of-life-sunrise.png)
Image Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios
Also, in another couple of re-releases, The Lion King will probably cross $1 billion 30+ years after the fact!
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