We’re a mere four days out from the release of Avengers: Endgame, and all signs indicate that the movie is headed for a ridiculously massive opening weekend. But while the Avengers: Infinity War sequel may seem like the clear favorite for highest-grossing film of 2019, Exhibitor Relation Co.’s senior analyst Jeff Bock has argued that it could have some competition in another much-hyped Disney blockbuster.
Speaking to ComicBook.com, the analyst argued that the upcoming live-action remake of The Lion King could ultimately rake in a global gross to rival the Russo Brothers’ new flick:
“The only thing that might even touch it [Avengers: Endgame] in terms of the worldwide box office, might be The Lion King, just because that is the crown jewel that the Disney animation has in their vault.”
It’s true that the 1994 animation has more nostalgic clout these days than quite possibly any other Disney movie, and after Jon Favreau found critical and commercial success with 2016’s The Jungle Book, Bock feels that Endgame could have a genuine challenger on its hands:
“We’ve seen how powerful it was back in the day, with John Favreau directing, there’s no doubt it could compete worldwide with Avengers: Endgame.”
All that said, Bock doesn’t dispute that The Lion King’s opening weekend will probably fall short of Endgame’s debut, which is expected to break the all-time record both globally and domestically. Right now, the domestic opening record is held by Infinity War, which managed $257 million in its first three days last year. For this week’s sequel, Bock argues that a $300 million debut might well be within reach.
These are some phenomenal figures, to say the least, but the movie’s pre-sales make them all too believable. On Fandango, for instance, Endgame managed beat the first week sales of Infinity War at a ratio of 5:1, while on Atom Tickets, the film claimed the all-time pre-sales record previously held by Aquaman in its first ten days. In China, meanwhile, Endgame topped the first week pre-sales of Infinity War in just 3 hours.
Not too shabby, but we’ll find out if Avengers: Endgame can perform as well as expected when it arrives in theaters on April 26th. After that, The Lion King is headed for cinemas on July 19th.