Following the unexpected success of re-releasing The Lion King in 3D, Disney has unveiled its two-year schedule that will bring more of its animated classics back to the big screen.
First up is 1991′s Beauty and the Beast, which will hit theaters again on January 13, 2012, nearly two years after it was originally scheduled for a theatrical re-release. The 3D conversion is already complete and even played in a few foreign markets, including Spain and Japan.
Pixar’s Finding Nemo will swim again September 14, 2012, that proven post-summer spot. This gives the movie an opportunity to overtake Toy Story 3 as the highest-grossing Pixar title, though Nemo bridging the gap ($339.7 million vs. $415 million in the U.S.) still seems pretty unlikely.
2001′s Monsters, Inc. will return to theaters in 3D on January 18, 2013 before the brand new Pixar prequel, Monsters University, opens wide on June 21, 2013.
Then The Little Mermaid will be back in theaters on September 13, 2013.
Disney’s The Lion King re-release has earned $79 million since making its way back to theaters on September 16, topping two weekends in a row packed with newcomers. To put things in perspective, a 17-year-old movie has made more than several of Disney’s other 2011 releases, including Mars Needs Moms ($21.4 million), Winnie the Pooh ($26.7 million) and the live-action movie Prom ($10.3 million).
With 3D waning as a viable moneymaker for studios on new live-action releases, the low cost of conversion is an increasingly enticing option for studios with established, easily-recognizable titles like those in Disney’s vault. But the next tests for 3D re-releases will come from Fox, which is readying some of its live-action blockbusters for theaters again. The studio is spending $18 million and one year to convert James Cameron’s Titanic for April 6, 2012 and it’s dumping resources into converting each episode of George Lucas’ Star Wars saga for yet another run, starting with The Phantom Menace in February 2012.
