'Lion King' roars as 'Avengers' closes in on box office record

The roar of "The Lion King" rattled the cinematic world Sunday as the new Disney film scored a huge debut in North American theaters with an estimated $185 million for the three-day weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported.

It was frosting on the cake for Disney, whose "Avengers: Endgame" is on the verge of passing "Avatar" as the all-time most money-making movie. Disney said Friday it expected that to happen this weekend, although Exhibitor Relations' figures showed it still slightly short of the record.

"The Lion King," director Jon Favreau's update of the classic 1994 animated film, notched the biggest domestic launch ever for a PG-rated film, and an all-time record for a July release, the Hollywood Reporter said. Worldwide, the movie has passed the half-billion-dollar mark.

The film employs hyper-realistic computer-generated images and has a voice cast including Donald Glover as Simba and Beyonce as Nala, as well as Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor and James Earl Jones.

Well back in second place was Sony's "Spider-Man: Far From Home" at $21 million. The latest installment in the blockbuster franchise picks up where "Avengers: Endgame" left off, with Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man atop a cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Jake Gyllenhaal — and Favreau.

Agence France-Presse