HOLLYWOOD—No surprise here that the film “The Lion King,” has become the fourth Disney film ths year to make $1 billion in worldwide box office sales. The Disney remake of the 1994 classic has achieved that less than three weeks after being released in cinemas. The film, which features the voices of Beyonce and Donald Glover, joins “Avengers: Endgame,” “Captain Marvel” and “Aladdin” in Disney’s $1 billion class of 2019.

Director Jon Favreau’s version is already the fifth-biggest global release of the year. It comes after “Cinderella” (2015), “The Jungle Book” (2016) and “Beauty and the Beast” (2017). Disney has also announced “Mulan” and “The Little Mermaid” remakes-with many others rumored and in development.

The majority of films right now are sequels and remakes. It seems that filmgoers are drawn to nostalgia right now. “Toy Story 4” has made more than $650 million. Here is the trick, if you’re going to do a sequel, you need something fresh. Sequels are making up more and more of Pixar’s releases. The studio, which is part of Disney, released only one sequel among its first 10 films- “Toy Story 2.” Of the 11 movies after that, seven have been sequels. “Mulan” is the next film getting the “live-action” treatment – it’s coming out in early 2020.

After that, Disney’s announced nine “untitled Disney live-action” movies to come out between 2021 and 2023. We know that one of those will be a remake of “The Little Mermaid.” And it’s very likely there will be more remakes of old animations – reports suggest they’re working on “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “Peter Pan” and “Pinocchio,” amongst others. Plus, there’s a “Jungle Book 2” reported to be in the works too.

Now, for the music, it has always been a big part of the film’s success, with Sir Elton John bagging an Oscar for his performance on “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” in the original “The Lion King.” Beyonce is featured in the top 10 of the US Soundtracks Chart, with “The Gift.” Beyonce’s album of collaborations- with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams and many more-shifted 54,000 equivalent albums units in the week ending July 25, according to Nielsen Music.

It currently sits in second place in the US Billboard 200. The film’s new official soundtrack is the second most popular record in that genre, having sold 22,000 units, while the original soundtrack by Sir Elton, Tim Rice and Hans Zimmer completes its circle of chart life by returning to the US album chart #150, 25 years after its first release.

Disney star Cameron Boyce, died a from epilepsy, a coroner has ruled. The 20-year-old actor passed away in his sleep after suffering a seizure on July 6, at his home in North Hollywood. His family has said at that time it was due to an “ongoing medical condition.”

“The world is now undoubtedly without one of its brightest lights, but his spirit will live on through the kindness and compassion of all who knew and loved him,” said a spokesperson for Cameron’s family at the time of his death. “We are utterly heartbroken and ask for privacy during this immensely difficult time as we grieve the loss of our precious son and brother.” Following his death, tributes were paid online to Cameron by his family and his former co-stars. A Disney Channel spokesman described him as an “incredibly talented performer.”

“From a young age, Cameron Boyce dreamed of sharing his extraordinary artistic talents with the world. As a young man, he was fueled by a strong desire to make a difference in people’s lives through his humanitarian work,” said a Disney Channel spokesman in a statement.

Rose’s Scoop: The new thing in Hollywood is that celebrities are supporting other celebrities wearing their t-shirts. Justin Bieber was spotted wearing The Jonas Brothers oversized t-shirt on July 27. Kim Kardashian wearing a t-shirt of Michael Jackson and Prince. Beyonce wearing a t-shirt of Stevie Wonder.