Walt Disney's "The Lion King"
"It's probably one of the first things we're going to be having a conversation about next week," studio distribution chief Dave Hollis said. "When you look at our library, there are some very special gems as it were, and for those that transcend time -- and a lot of them do ... to bring them through 3D is a great opportunity."
He stressed that there are no plans yet. But, he said, "The Lion King" success "gives a lot of hope to the possibilities that exist with all of our library."
Other studios have similar ideas.
"No question about it," Jeff Goldstein, executive VP of domestic distribution at Warner Bros., told TheWrap. "But we've talked about it before. It's not as if we're just thinking about it right now."
He acknowledged, however, that "The Lion King's" unexpectedly strong results will make the examination a little more serious.
The most optimistic pre-release projections had "The Lion King" grossing about $15 million on its debut 3D weekend. Instead, the 17-year-old classic grossed $29.3 million.
Other 3D re-releases already are in the works.
In May, Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment announced that the 1997 global record breaker "Titanic" would return to theaters in 3D on April 6, 2012.
Erik Lomis, who heads distribution at the Weinstein Company, told TheWrap that 3D had beome "a little shop-worn with just sort of average films," but that "The Lion King's" success is making a strong point that executives will notice.
"It's very, very impressive," he said.
