Box office: 'The Lion King' rules with Sh18.5 billion debut

Cast member Donald Glover poses as he arrives for the World Premiere of "The Lion King" in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 9, 2019 Photo: Reuters.

Simba and Mufasa reigned supreme this weekend as Disney’s “The Lion King” dominated box office charts. Director Jon Favreau’s remake of the animated classic collected a massive $185 million from 4,756 North American theaters during its first three days of release.

In yet another win for Disney, the movie landed the best domestic launch for a PG film and set a new record for the month of July. That figure represents the second-best domestic debut of the year behind Disney and Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” ($357 million). The Buena Vista Company now holds five of the top six biggest movies of 2018 so far.