The Lion King becomes fastest-selling Disney live-action remake to date

At this rate, Disney remake won't have to wait to be king

The Lion King has eviscerated a US box office record held by Harry Potter just three days after being released.

Disney’s live-action remake of the 1994 animated classic, directed by Jon Favreau, hit number one in all of its markets and has grossed $531m globally.

The film’s US sales, though, have seen it smash Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2’s July record of $169.1 to haul in $192m.

This also makes the film Disney’s fastest-selling live-action release of all time, easily surpassing Beauty and the Beast’s $174.7m.

These takings position The Lion King – which features the voice work of Donald Glover, Beyoncé and Seth Rogen – as the seventh biggest film of the year so far and the biggest IMAX opening for a Disney film ever.

It’s further good news for Disney who, after a successful Comic-Con panel unveiling the next slate of Marvel films that will be released over the next three years, discovered that Avengers: Endgame had finally overtaken Avatar’s all-time box office record.

Also, Guy Ritchie’s version of Aladdin has proved the ultimate box office sleeper hit for Disney considering it's extremely close to topping the $1b mark.

Combined with Toy Story 4, Disney’s international box office takings sit at $2,790.2m.