• by Wayne Friedman , August 2, 2019

With Walt Disney roaring out another wide-screen release from “The Lion King,” the previously troubled 2019 theatrical U.S. box-office revenue looks in far better shape -- with higher national TV media spend on advertising summer movies.

Eight months into the year, the U.S. box office is at $6.9 billion, down 7% year-to-date, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. Until recently, year-to-date box office revenue was down by around 15%. Last year’s total U.S. box office revenue was $11.9 billion.

Two weeks after its release, “King” is now at $385.1 million in U.S. box-office revenue, after a $191.8 million opening weekend two weeks ago.

For its part, Disney now has five of the top six U.S. movies with the largest box-office take: “Avengers: Endgame” at $857 million; “Captain Marvel” at $427 million; “Toy Story 4” at $401.6 million;  “Lion King” as noted, at $385.1 million after two weeks; and “Aladdin,” $347.9 million.

Over the last three months -- May 1 through August 1, the bulk of the big summer selling season -- Walt Disney Pictures has been estimated to have spent, on national/regional TV media, $48.5 million, with its Disney Pixar brand, spending $30.9 million, according to iSpot.tv. Twentieth Century Fox, now also part of Disney, is at $65 million.

Disney is now estimated (from last year’s results) to have a 35% share of the theatrical movie market.

For its part, Universal Pictures spent $124.5 million during the recent three-month period; Sony’s Columbia Pictures, $75.7 million; Warner Bros., $58 million; and Paramount Pictures, $43.6 million.

Overall, U.S. theatrical movie spending on national/regional TV is at $551 million from May 1 through August 1 -- up 12% from $490.7 million over the same period a year ago.