'The Lion King' reigns at US box office

The movie did far better than the studio executives had expected, earning 29.3 million dollars from 2,330 venues in the United States and Canada during the weekend, Englishnews reported.

The previously held record was Pixar's 'Toy Story' and its 2009 3D sequel, which garnered 12.5 million dollars in the opening weekend.

Being the biggest blockbuster from Disney, the movie was also made into two made-for-video sequels, a television series and a Broadway musical.

The movie was reproduced in its 3D version mainly due to the existence of a huge audience in their twenties and families, who account for 74 percent of movie goers.

The re-release was originally slated as a two-week limited theatrical run.

The original 'Lion King' released in 1994 maintains the record for the fifth highest grossing animated film and continues to be the highest-grossing hand drawn animation film ever made.