The Disney powerhouse cannot be stopped, like the Juggernaut whose rights they recently acquired. With Avengers: Endgame already breaking record after record, you'd think they'd allow themselves a little downtime. Yet Guy Ritchie's Aladdin is right around the corner, and the anticipated remake is already projected to pull in serious numbers. A report from Variety expects the flick to rake in $80 million upon its premiere on Memorial Day weekend, going on to hit $100 million on the holiday Monday.
As the report points out, those numbers would put it below The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, which earned $103 million and $174 million respectively. It's rather surprising in a way, as Aladdin's original animated version stands as a beloved Disney classic, as opposed to the celebrated yet somewhat slept on Jungle Book. Perhaps the fond admiration people hold for the OG Aladdin will ultimately prove a curse, as some might sit this one out over sheer, misguided loyalty. After all, it's hard to forget the backlash Will Smith's Genie caused, with complaints ranging from "uncanny valley" to "TOO BLUE."
Yet the Disney brand is strong, and it's possible that Aladdin's live-action reboot will prove to be a runaway success. It'll be interesting to see the climate surrounding this movie once the first reviews start pouring in, and whether that has any impact on the box office or not. We won't have to wait much longer to find out - Aladdin arrives on May 24th.