Films are incredibly hard to gauge excitement for. There’s a reason why studios still pour in hundreds of millions of dollars into something only for it to flop in theaters. If there was an easy way to do it, everyone would be doing it, and the industry would constantly be trending upwards. But, as difficult as it is, it’s even more difficult when we get a film that’s a remake of an already-beloved one. It becomes a question of whether or not it can live up to the original, and if that familiarity will ultimately work for or against the movie.

Such was the case with Aladdin. Yes, it was based on the 1990s classic film of the same name from the same studio (well, at least the same conglomerate’s animation division), but it was always possible that audience loved the original so much that they wouldn’t take to the movie. For the longest time, that seemed to be the case. Some of the marketing crashed and burned, and box office predictions saw it gaining less-than-optimal numbers.

RELATED – Disney’s Aladdin Makes $7M On Thursday Previews

Now, a new report from Variety indicates that enthusiasm is still strong. When all said and done, it will have grossed $12.7 million over this four-day weekend. Not only is this the fifth highest-grossing Memorial Day Weekend, but the film exceeded Disney’s $75 million to $85 million range for the same time period. Add in the A CinemaScore, and it all culminates in a big reason for the House of Mouse to be celebrating.

Personally, while Aladdin wasn’t an Oscar contender by any means, it brought exactly what I wanted to the table: an expanded take on the original animated film that helped flesh out the story more, beautiful production design, eyecatching costumes, and fun takes on the classic songs. While that latter part may have been the weakest of those desires, it did well enough that I had a fun time in the theater. For more of my thoughts on the film, you can check out today’s episode of LRMornings beneath this article.

Did you have a chance to see Aladdin yet? If so, what did you think? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Variety