LONG LIVE THE (LION) KING

Seventeen years after it first roared into movie theaters, Disney’s The Lion King — this time a 3D version — is expected to top the box office again. Most forecasters are predicting that the animated film will gross around $15-20 million in its return, pushing it ahead of the second week of Contagion, which is expected to earn $13-16 million. Three brand new films are not expected to generate much interest. The Ryan Gosling starrer Drive will likely turn out to be the only major competitor, probably earning in the neighborhood of $11-12 million, while Straw Dogs and I Don’t Know How She Does It will probably have to settle for $7-10 million.