Box Office Report: 'The Lion King' Roars Again, Taking $29.3 Million

Getting a mighty roar, Disney's 17-years of age The Lion King mentioned the weekend box office crown, easily conquering three new wide releases on the way. Freshly up-to-date to a different 3d version, the classic animated movie needed inside an thought $29.3 million within the U . s . States, an incredible number.our editor recommends'Drive' Star Ryan Gosling's 11 Most Memorable Roles (Photos)Drive: Cannes 2011 ReviewHow 'The Lion King 3D' Differs Within the Original Film'The Lion King 3d:A Just what the Experts Are SayingRelated Subjects•Box Office STORY: 'The Lion King 3d:' Just what the Experts Say In the new arrivals, FilmDistrict's Drive, the neo-noir thriller starring Ryan Gosling shown most likely probably the most gas, consuming $11 million, despite the fact that still it checked inside the third position, unable to go through Steven Soderbergh's medical thriller Contagion, which, within the second weekend, needed the second place with $14.5 million. The brand new the new sony/Scream Gem's remake Hay Dogs, directed by Fly fishing rod Lurie, settled for just about any fifth place showing getting a $5 million opening, because the Weinstein Co.'s femme-centric comedy I am Unsure How She'll It, with Nicole Kidman, was sixth with $4.5 million. PHOTOS: 'Drive' Star Ryan Gosling's 11 Most Memorable Roles Since the weekend began, Disney had modest anticipation for King. The re-release, designed to promote a completely new Packages edition in the film striking stores March. 4, was prone to collect about $12-13 million. But buoyed by strong want-to-see from family audiences, without any immediate competition off their kid-friendly game game titles, the film, directed by Roger Allers and Make the most of Minkoff, once again taken the imagination of movie goers since it needed over 2,330 theaters with a combination of 3d and 2D screens. King already ranked since the top-grossing, hands-attracted animated film ever. In the earlier incarnations, it had made more then $328.5 million in your area, and $788.2 million worldwide, including greater than $hundreds of an incredible number of in the 3d re-release in Latin America. "Certainly our anticipation were exceeded," saidDave Hollis, Disney's evp, theatrical distribution. "You've revisit the circle of existence idea. Teens who first seen it 20 years ago are really parents and introduced their kids. Parents who first seen it if the first showed up in this area are really grandmother and grand daddy and introduced their grandchildren. It absolutely was an chance to look for the film with techniques they hadn't seen it before. Plus it's some a perfect storm." Disney had expected a sizable family play, as well as 74 percent in the audience were families. Though 18 percent of the business coming initially from from couples, the studio also reported strong business at evening tests. Youngsters age two to 11 composed 34 percent in the audience, and girls outnumbered males by 55 to 45 percent. Coming the wake of several movies where moviegoers averted within the 3d option, King remedied that trend. Because the studio didn't have a very break-lower on the quantity of 3d versus 2D screens that the film ultimately carried out, it did think that 92 percent in the toon's business came from from 3d ticket sales. The studio's promotion had stressed seeing the film in 3d -- theaters even provided kid-sized "Simba" glasses -- which push certainly paid out off. While King happen to be scheduled to see theaters for 2 primary days to produce its Packages launch, the interesting big issue is if this may now stay in theaters even longer. "We've not had that conversation yet, nevertheless it's the initial factor we'll be speaking about tomorrow as we've become responses in from exhibition," Hollis mentioned. "Though In my opinion we're changing the wording inside the ads from 'two-week run' to 'limited engagement'." Meanwhile, Kinghas already released numerous new stats inside the record books: It's the initial re-problem to start at # 1 in 14 years: The ultimate time it happened was Return in the Jedi - Unique in 1997. The film's bow appeared to become the fifth finest September opening ever, and Disney's second finest, following 2002's Sweet Home Alabama, which bowed to $35.6 000 0000. Elsewhere, a couple of major holdovers handled to obtain harder for that completely new films to gain traction. Warner's Contagion, which opened up up in to start with last weekend with $22.4 million, fell simply by 35 percent. Moving for the second slot, it acquired $14.5 million to produce its domestic tally to $44.2 million. Disney also mentioned the fourth place for your weekend with DreamWorks' period drama The Help. Within the sixth weekend of release, the film came just by 28 percent, collecting another $6.4 million, which introduced its domestic gross to $147.4 million. Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn's R-rated foray into La crime territory, demonstrated most likely probably the most muscle among the freshmen movies. The film, through which Gosling shares the screen with Carey Mulligan and Albert Brooks, carried out 2,886 theaters, made $11 million and therefore ranked third for your weekend. Bob Berney, FilmDistrict's leader of theatrical distribution, mentioned, "We're really happy. It's a significant film. Reactions in it are extremely polarizing." The distributor carried out a difficult double follow pursuing arthouse audiences -- experts spoken in regards to the movie at both Cannes and Toronto film festival -- as well as the testosterone-fueled genre crowd. While Cinemascore returned a C- rating, Berney mentioned, "I'm unsure where they did their polling." Watching the film did particularly well in urban centers like La and NY, Berney reported Friday evening's returns within the Arclight Hollywood, where Drive needed in $48,000, because the next best film, Contagion, attracted $9,000. Playing mainly to youthful males together with a far more compact section of older moviegoers responding to reviews, the film released an 11 percent uptick from Friday to Saturday, which, Berney mentioned, signifies good word-of-mouth continue. Hay Dogs, directorRod Lurie's remake ofSam Peckinpah's 1971 original, found harder going. Opening in fifth place, it offered just $5 million cost of tickets by 50 %,408 locations. The R-rated drama, starringJames Marsden,Kate BosworthandAlexander Skarsgard, attracted an amount male-female split (49-51 percent), while 54 percent of moviegoers were over 25. It's CinemaScore rating was C. "It's a movie we're pleased with. It's an extremely great ensemble, well-socialized and well-directed," Rory Bruer, The brand new the new sony leader of worldwide distribution, mentioned. With numerous multi-tasking moms most most likely taking their kids toLion King, the Weinstein Co. didn't attract as the majority of the older women it absolutely was trying to find toI Don't Know How She'll It. The PG-13 rated movie, directed byDouglas McGrathand good novel byAllison Pearson, carried out 2,476 theaters, were it made $4.5 million, for just about any sixth place showing. Obtaining a B- CinemaScore, the film's audience was eighty percent female, with fifty percent in the audience over the age of 35. " "It absolutely was disappointing. We went in a freight train calledThe Lion King," mentioned Erik Loomis, the Weinstein Co.'s leader of theatrical distribution. "Overall, women enjoy[I Don't Know] a good deal. It plays compared to that audience. So hopefully they'll find more hours with this within a couple of days. Rounding the very best were: Focus Features'The Debt,at number seven, grossing $2.9 million, to produce its domestic tally to $26.5 million Lionsgate'sWarrior, eighth, $2.8 million, $9.9 million Fox'sRise in the Planet in the Apes, ninth, $2.6 000 0000, $171.6 000 0000 and also the new the new sony'sColombiana, tenth, $2.3 million, $33.3 million. Round the niche film front, The brand new the new sony Pictures Classics' opened up up Gus Van Sant's offbeatRestless, starringMia WasikowskaandHenry Hopper, on five screens for the tune of $17,285 together with a per-screen average of $3,457. Cohen Media Group, the completely new distributor that merely acquired two films in Toronto,The LadyandAwakenings, bowed Jean Becker'sMy Days with Margueritte, by 50 percent theaters, where it collected $20,914, for just about any per-screen average of $10,457. Paladin debutedTiffany Shlain's documentaryConnectedon three screens in San Francisco Bay Area, where it acquired $17,100 for just about any per-screen of $5,700. Tribeca Films opened up in the documentaryShut Up Little Guy, which formerly carried out San Francisco Bay Area, in exclusive engagements in NY and La, where it attracted in $8,500 for just about any per-screen average of $4,250. While Focus is not opening the spy dramaTinker Tailor Soldier Spyin the U.S. until 12 ,. 9, Studio Canal Uk launched the film, based on theJohn le Carrenovel, inside the U.K., where it absolutely was # 1 for your weekend, grossing 1.2 million pounds. Related Subjects Box Office Drive The Lion King