WEEKEND BOX OFFICE - Saturday update: 17 years later and THE LION KING is #1 again - $20mil+! DRIVE #2, STRAW DOGS, HOW SHE DOES IT $7mil ea.

And with this one free throw the baboons could win the game...

     Apparently the circle of life in movies is 17 years as the re-release of THE LION KING is tops at the box office this weekend.  The Academy Award winner was #1 for several weeks back in 1994.

     Based on early estimates from Deadline Hollywood and The Hollywood Reporter the #1 movie for this weekend will easily be Disney's beloved African adventure.

     (On a side note, I remember when you wouldn't find out 'til Monday afternoon what the #1 movie of the weekend was.  Now we're finding it out Friday afternoon BEFORE we've even gone to the googolplex.  Creepy!)

     This bodes well for Disney as they can probably re-issue more animated classics and know there's an audience willing to drop coin on something they probably own at home (albeit not in 3-D...yet).  The 3-D industry had a rough summer and is somewhat redeemed with this #1 film (but once again 3-D does well only with a film targeted to children).

"I don't believe this will really solve my male pattern baldness"

 

"Vrooom!  Vrooom!"

     Last week's #1 flick CONTAGION slips to #2 but will hold up well with a drop in the 40% range.  For the weekend look for the ensemble piece to gross an estimated $12mil.  That's a very good hold as the usual box-office drops for wide releases are in the 50-60% range.

     DRIVE is the film I'm dying to see and apparently so are a few others.  The Ryan Gosling film will open strong at $11mil. which will make it the #1 choice from the three original wide releases.  

   




     As for the other two releases, the story's not so great.  The latest Sarah Jessica Parker rom-com I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT and the suspense remake STRAW DOGS will open at about $6mil each.


More info as it comes in!