The live action remake of the 1994 animated classic, “The Lion King” was released by Disney on Friday, 19 July 2019 to international audiences. Amidst reviews that were not so ecstatic about the movie, it still managed to conquer new grounds and set new records for the box office.

How Much Did Lion King Raise on the Opening Weekend?

The Lion King opening weekend witnessed high traffic in theaters and saw revenue in ticket sales return as much as $191.8 million in North America alone. This surpasses the projection of analysts, who predicted an estimated return of around $150 million for the opening weekend.

On a global level, the movie has made over $540 million already, and still counting. These figures single out The Lion King remake as the highest earner ever for a July opening weekend release.

The remake of this Disney’s live action, directed by Jon Favreau features a group that consists of new starts in conjunction with some of those in the original animation. They include, Donald Glover as Simba, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar and Beyoncé Knowles as Nala.

As most who have seen the original movie would remember, here is a summary of the story.

"The Lion King" journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub's arrival. Scar, Mufasa's brother-and former heir to the throne, has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba's exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.”

How Are The Reviews About The Lion King?

Reviews about the remake have come with mixed feelings, both from critics and those who think that the remake was worth it. No doubt, expectations were high, considering the performance of the original movie and the sequels that followed it. However, this did not stop those who think that the remake did not live up to expectations to air their opinions.

Some of the comments from reviewers are as follows:

“Despite the superstar talent of the cast and the stunning presentation, it misses some of the heart that placed the original securely in the pop culture canon.” Ashlie D. Stevens

Rarely has brand recognition soared to such fetishistic heights, and I regret to inform you that, aside from the updating of the vocal cast, the most blatant discrepancy between the old and the new is a very slight increase in the comedy of flatulence. Anthony Lane.

Above are just two of the many critical opinions about the new release from the audience. This does not mean that there were no positive reviews for the movie. As a matter of fact, other viewers were full of praises for the just released remake. This shows that it is mainly all about expectations. Here are some of the positive reviews for The Lion King remake:

“It's a surprisingly efficient remake that acts as both a touching tribute to its predecessor and a breathtaking standalone epic in its own right.” Owen Butler

“It looks glorious, advancing the art with its attention to grand scale and tiny detail. But much of the film is a shot-for-shot restaging, which leaves it feeling eerily familiar, offering little that's new to fans of the original.” Rich Cline

Can Reviews Affect Movie Revenue?

The quoted reviews come from popular online sources, and represent the independent opinions of viewers. Such reviews usually go a long way in determining the performance of movies and other entertainment products even long after release.

A new platform which is already making waves when it comes to reviews and information about entertainment content is the decentralized Blue Baikal platform which is based on blockchain technology.

This platform has introduced another dimension to reviews, turning them into avenues of making good money for movie audiences and entertainment consumers. Take for instance, if the above quoted reviews were placed on the Blue Baikal platform, the reviewers would earn money for participating in the process.

The Lion King remake has started out well by putting its best foot forward on the weekend of release. We may not have heard the best of this classic movie, as the outcome of reviews will surely play a role that will be used to measure against the Lion King opening weekend review.