'The Lion King' On Pace for br Huge Box Office Opening According to projections, the br update of the 1994 movie will br debut to over $150 million. Compared to its fellow Disney remake rivals, br 'Beauty and the Beast's' debut was br just under $175 million. But a report from Fandango says that pre-sale tickets for 'Lion King' are higher. 'Lion King' will be the third remake of br Disney films released this year, br after 'Aladdin' and 'Dumbo.' The movie was directed by br Jon Favreau, who also helmed br the critically-acclaimed remake br of 'The Jungle Book.