“Lion King” Movie Dominates Weekend Box Office

It’s been 17 years ago since Disney released the first version of “The Lion King.” It re-released it this weekend in its 3-D form and despite declining sales of the format, it managed to claw its way to first place at the box office with an estimated $29.3 million from 2,330 locations, which is the fifth-highest September opening.

Including its record-breaking run in 1994 and an IMAX re-release in 2002, “The Lion King” has now earned over $350 million, making a leap from 25th to 17th place in the all-time domestic chart. It bypassed “FindingNemo” this weekend to become the third highest-grossing animated film on record. Shrek 2 holds the title at $441 million, followed by “Toy Story3″ at $415 million.