In November 2017, it was confirmed that Beyonce had been cast as Nala in the Disney live-action remake of The Lion King, which entered cinemas in July, 2019. Getting an A-list celebrity as big as Beyonce to front the motion picture was certainly going to be costly for the studio, who reportedly paid her a whopping $15 million.
But her salary didn’t include earnings she made from the highly successful soundtrack album, titled The Gift, which followed with the release of the film, with Beyonce holding songwriting credits on almost every single track. Promotion for The Gift continued when it was later announced that the album would receive a visual treatment for all of its songs in the form of a Disney+ original, Black Is King.
Signing on to star and record a soundtrack album for The Lion King ended up making the former Destiny’s Child star a lot of money, but just how much did she earn in total?
How Much Did Beyonce Make From ‘The Lion King’?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, for voicing the character of Nala in the blockbuster flick, the So Good hitmaker closed a deal worth a reported $15 million, which is impressive given that the sum comes close to what some of the biggest actresses in Hollywood make.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that Beyonce has done voiceover work for a movie, having previously lent her talents to the 2013 animated movie Epic, where she played Queen Tara, alongside the likes of Blake Anderson and Amanda Seyfried.
Vibe, on the other hand, believes that Beyonce actually made close to $25 million for her participation in the film, but their numbers are said to have taken into consideration the fact that Bey would also be providing a soundtrack album for the movie.
The publication quotes a Twitter handle, which wrote the following: "Disney has reportedly agreed to pay a whopping $25 million to secure Beyoncé's involvement with the project.”
"The soundtrack will be released worldwide through Parkwood Entertainment & Columbia Records (SONY).”
While some reports claim she made $15 million and others say $25 million, it’s fair to say that the mother-of-three still made a fortune just from tying her name to the project.
What’s interesting is that Beyonce is said to have made a lot of money from the deal she inked with Disney, but in July 2019, as previously mentioned, The Gift album was released under Columbia and Parkwood Entertainment - the latter entertainment company is owned by the R&B singer, who established the firm in 2008.
This consequently means that Bey would have also benefited from the album’s sales, ultimately making her more than the reported $25 million she earned from Disney alone.
Upon its release, The Gift sold 54,000 copies in its first week, placing it at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 while also attaining the No. 1 spot on the Top R&B Albums chart.
The record would see Beyonce release a total of three singles: Spirit, Brown Skin Girl, and Black Parade, which all received accompanying music videos in the musical film Black Is King, which was released exclusively on Disney+ on July 31, 2019.
While speaking about her decision to piece together another visual album, the songstress told Good Morning America: “It’s been a year in the making. I worked with a diverse group of very gifted directors and actors and creatives from all over the world to re-imagine the story of The Lion King.
The narrative unfolds through music videos, fashion, dance, beautiful natural settings, and raw, new talent.”
“Black Is King means Black is regal and rich in history, in purpose, and in lineage. I hope y’all love it, I hope you enjoy, and I hope y’all see it tonight.”
It’s unclear whether Disney and Beyonce planned to work on a visual album when she first inked her deal to record The Lion King’s soundtrack, but it’s fair to assume that she most likely earned a substantial amount that’s unrelated to the money she made playing Nala.
Forbes estimated Beyonce to have earned $81 million over the course of 12 months, which included her $60 million deal with Netflix, who bought the rights to her highly-acclaimed Homecoming documentary for its streaming platform.
Speaking about her can-do attitude and incredible work ethic, the Grammy winner told the publication in 2009: “I’m never satisfied. I’ve never met anyone that works harder than me in my industry… Like everyone else, you work really hard and you want it to be great; you want your friends to like it."
While Beyonce made a lot of money in 2019, it was fellow singer Taylor Swift who Forbes had ranked at No. 1, who made an astounding $185 million from music, touring, and endorsement deals.
