Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ tops $1 billion at the box office

“The Lion King” is set to surpass the $1 billion mark today, its 19th day in theaters, making it the fourth Disney movie to do so this year.

The remake of the classic 1994 animated feature had earned $360.9 million at the domestic box office and $638.5 million internationally. On Monday, the estimated total for the film was $999.4 million.

This box-office performance is stellar for a film that went into its opening weekend with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 55% from 260 reviews.

Ahead of its release, critics had mixed feelings about Disney’s reimagining of the beloved animated classic. The consensus was that while the animation itself was breathtaking it made the musical numbers boring.

Analysts still foresee a long run for “The Lion King,” expecting it to continue to sell tickets well into the end of the summer. Back in April, many expected it to be one of the biggest films of the year, if not the biggest.

“Avengers: Endgame,” another Disney film, now holds the record for the highest-grossing film of all time. It took the crown last week from “Avatar.”

So far, three other Disney films have passed $1 billion this year: “Captain Marvel,” “Aladdin” and “Avengers: Endgame.”

“Toy Story 4” will soon be the fifth, as it has already accrued $919.1 million during its first five weeks in theaters.

In total, Disney has made more than $7.67 billion at the global box office this year, setting a record for the highest-grossing year for a studio ever — and it’s not even August.

Disney still has yet to release “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” “Frozen 2” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”

Initially, analysts had conservatively forecast that Disney would haul in around $9 billion this year, however, that figure could be much higher.