In the past decade or so, Disney hasn’t done that many major cinema reissues of its classics, but it may well do a few more after The Lion King roared to the top of the US charts on its 3D re-release, taking $29.3 million. That’s about double what Disney had expected, and should encourage them to give some of their other greats another go in cinemas, including the 3D version of Beauty & The Beast they’ve been sitting on for the past year or so.
It’s an impressive feat for a film that’s nearing its 20th birthday, and the first re-release to top the charts in 14 years (the last was Return Of The Jedi – Special Edition).
None of the other three new entries made much a dent on the box office, with the best of them, Drive, only hitting third spot with $11 million. As with Warrior last week, very strong reviews don’t seem to have helped the movie all that much, but considering it is an R-rated film with indie credentials, it’s not a horrific start.
The remake of Straw Dogs meanwhile only made it to the fifith spot with $5 million, with many blaming that on a bad marketing campaign that seemed uncertain how to sell the movie, and ended up turning everyone off the movie. However at least it did better than I Don’t Know How She Does, with took only $4.5 million. It’s yet more proof that no one cares about Sarah Jessica Parker outside Sex & The City (and to be honest if Carrie Bradshaw weren’t in the next SatC flick, I don’t think anyone would care that much).
Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of September 16th-18th.
| Rank | Title | Weekend Gross (millions) | Total Gross to date (millions) |
| 1 | The Lion King | $29.3 | $29.3 |
| 2 | Contagion | $14.4 | $44.2 |
| 3 | Drive | $11.0 | $11.0 |
| 4 | The Help | $6.4 | $147.3 |
| 5 | Straw Dogs | $5.0 | $5.0 |
| 6 | I Don’t Know How She Does It | $4.5 | $4.5 |
| 7 | The Debt | $2.9 | $26.5 |
| 8 | Warrior | $2.7 | $9.9 |
| 9 | Rise Of The Planet of The Apes | $2.6 | $171.6 |
| 10 | Colombiana | $2.3 | $33.3 |