Aladdin becomes fifth Disney live-action remake to pass $1 billion at global box office

Disney is enjoying yet another success with a live-action remake of a beloved classic

Aladdin has become the 41^st Disney title to cross the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, the company has announced.

The remake starring Will Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott is also the fifth Disney-branded live-action reboot to achieve the $1bn feat, after Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson, Alice in Wonderland, and the second and fourth Pirates of the Caribbean films.

This year, Aladdin stands with Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home as the releases to top $1bn.

The movie received mixed reviews from critics, although The Independent’s critic Geoffrey Macnab praised it as a “rip-roaring adventure” and commented: “Production and costume design are extraordinarily lavish. Whether in the Cave of Wonders or in the palace itself, every frame of the film is crammed with glittering visual detail.

“There are some impressively apocalyptical effects and locations range from the desert to the frozen limits of what appears to be Antarctica. The ending feels formulaic and a little anti-climactic.

“Disney’s storytellers aren’t able to add too many new twists to a story told countless times before. This, though, is an Aladdin made with tremendous verve. What could have been a cynical exercise in repackaging an old hit turns out to be an invigorating ride.”

Meanwhile, Disney's live-action remake of The Lion King just recorded the third-biggest non-opening Tuesday ever ($30.34m), behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($38 million on day five) and Avengers: Endgame ($33 million on day five), and the biggest non-opening Tuesday ever in July.