Old School Success: "The Lion King 3D" Killed It at the Box Office

"Hakuna matata" ain't no passing craze.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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If the box office this weekend is any indication, recycling pays off. Disney took it's old school cub-coming-of-age tale and added a little new technology and —ta-da!— The Lion King 3D was born (or is it reborn?), and 1994 was back with a lucrative vengeance.

Disney's slight revamp of the classic film made for big money making in theaters, with The Lion King climbing to the top of the film food-chain this weekend and grossing a whopping 29.3 million its first weekend, twice as much than what even Disney expected. It also left several flicks, including the very watch-worthy Drive and Sarah Jessica Parker's new dud I Don't Know How She Does It, considerably doused in dust.

Maybe it was nostalgic parents hoping to relive their own childhoods with their kids, or the eternal awesomeness of the phrase "Hakuna Matata", but either way, Disney is clearly onto something here. Some savvy producer needs to get a reboot of Aladdin into 3D, stat, and take that magic carpet straight to the bank!

[via MSNBC]

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