With an estimated $999 million worldwide through yesterday, Disney’s The Lion King will cross the $1 billion mark today in its 19th day of release. Along with Aladdin, it’s the second Disney-branded live-action release to reach the $1 billion threshold this year and the sixth ever to do so, following Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, and the second and fourth Pirates of the Caribbean films. It is also The Walt Disney Studios’ fourth billion dollar release this year.
Preceded by a strong debut in China where it earned nearly $100 million in its first week, The Lion King debuted day-and-date globally July 19 with $446.1 million. Bolstered by an A CinemaScore, the Jon Favreau-directed film opened with $191.8 million domestically, the eighth biggest debut of all time, and continues to be No. 1 at the daily box office earning an estimated $361 million to date. Internationally, The Lion King has earned $638 million, with major markets Japan (August 9) and Italy (August 21) still to open. The film is the second highest release of 2019 in EMEA and is the highest grossing release from Disney Live Action in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Central America, Trinidad, Uruguay, and Paraguay.