The Lion King Trails Only Avengers: Endgame in Advanced Ticket Sales in First 24 Hours

The hype surrounding Disney's return to Pride Rock is very, VERY real. Jon Favreau's remake of The [...]

By Charlie Ridgely

The hype surrounding Disney's return to Pride Rock is very, VERY real. Jon Favreau's remake of The Lion King is roaring into theaters next month, but fans are already clamoring for their tickets. On Monday morning, presale tickets for The Lion King went live and quickly became one of the biggest advanced sellers in Disney's history. In 2019, only Avengers: Endgame has sold more tickets in its first 24 hours.

Fandango revealed Tuesday that The Lion King delivered the highest 24 hour presales for any Disney remake to-date, including Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book. Taking things one step further, Fandango's editor, Erik Davis, confirmed that the movie was the second-highest seller in first 24 hours all year, trailing only Marvel's Avengers: Endgame.

"This just in: The Lion King is already feeling the box office love," Davis wrote on Twitter. "Not only is it the best-selling Disney adaptation in its first 24 hours of pre-sales, but it's the 2nd best-selling movie OF THE YEAR in its first 24 hours, behind only Avengers: Endgame."

That's already a massive boost to the opening weekend haul for The Lion King, which could end up also being the second-highest of the year. It's unlikely anything will ever top Endgame's box office debut, but The Lion King might be the closest competition.

Part of the appeal surrounding the new take on The Lion King is the recreation of the iconic soundtrack, which includes performances from Donald Glover and Beyonce. The soundtrack will include all of the original movie songs, along with a couple of new additions and a track from the Broadway show.

"Just hearing that music strikes you deeply," said Favreau. "Even if you don't know the film or stage show, there is a spiritual strength in it. But if you know the film, and if you grew up with this music -- now it can suddenly and immediately evoke the story itself, as well as all the connected memories and emotions that you have from your own past experience with The Lion King, or from the time of your life that you were in, or your childhood, or the life events it's connected to."

Disney's The Lion King is set to hit theaters on July 19th.

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