Mufasa: The Lion King‘s box office was always going to be a point of discussion given the franchise’s popularity, from its opening weekend numbers to its total domestic and international gross. Despite Mufasa: The Lion King‘s mixed reviews, the film was always expected to perform well commercially. The sheer iconicity of the brand that was first established in 1994’s The Lion King and reignited with 2019’s live-action/animation remake was enough to propel Mufasa to success, with that success likely leading to multiple other Lion King sequels.
Although Mufasa somewhat changes The Lion King‘s story via the early exploration of its titular character, the film has evidently resonated with audiences. This is highlighted by the film’s 88% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the ending of Mufasa: The Lion King proving to have wrapped up a story that audiences across the world have enjoyed. This is also evident in the film’s box office returns, as Mufasa: The Lion King managed to overcome a lackluster opening to become a commercial success both internationally and domestically.
Mufasa: The Lion King’s Total Box Office (So Far)
Mufasa’s Box Office Earnings Thus Far Look Promising
Mufasa: The Lion King opened worldwide on December 20, 2024, and was primed for a strong Christmas period despite facing stiff competition from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Regardless of its rivalry with the blue hedgehog, it seems Mufasa is coming out on top. The film was produced on a reported $200 million budget, with the film having clawed that back in domestic and international markets since its December 20 opening.
|
Movie |
Budget |
Domestic Box Office (So Far) |
International Box Office (So Far) |
Worldwide Box Office (So Far) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mufasa: The Lion King |
$200,000,000 |
$138,516,080 |
$214,349,035 |
$352,865,115 |
Going into the film’s third weekend – at the time of writing on Friday, January 3 – Mufasa: The Lion King has earned a worldwide total of $352,865,115, as per Box Office Mojo. This is certainly an impressive number for the film given its relatively short lifespan and the crossing of the $350 million milestone. Usually, it is a general rule of thumb that Hollywood movies must earn 1.5x their production budget to begin turning a profit. This is sometimes listed as double, yet, nonetheless, it seems as though Mufasa: The Lion King is well on its way to earning a profit for Disney.
A majority of this success was due to Mufasa‘s strong Holiday 2024 performance, via THR. Mufasa: The Lion King earned a strong $63.8 million domestically across the five-day Christmas period, overcoming its box office competitors. This was the same abroad, with Mufasa‘s Christmas weekend hauling in another $77.1 million internationally. Mufasa: The Lion King then earned another $10 million on New Year’s Day alone, as reported by Deadline, after topping six consecutive box office days between Christmas and the turn of the year.
Mufasa: The Lion King’s Opening Weekend Box Office
A Disappointing Opening Has Since Been Redeemed
While Mufasa: The Lion King‘s current box office total looks impressive, the film was not always necessarily expected to perform so well. These doubts began as early as Mufasa‘s domestic opening weekend projections, which predicted the movie to come in second place behind Sonic the Hedgehog 3. This projection became a reality, with Mufasa: The Lion King trailing behind its main competitor upon its opening in North America and Canada on December 20, 2024.
Mufasa: The Lion King earned a global start of $122.2 million…
Mufasa: The Lion King‘s domestic opening weekend haul was a lowly $35 million, $15 million behind expectations as per THR. Although this was undoubtedly a disappointing start for the film, it performed better in its opening weekend overseas, yet still behind projections. Mufasa: The Lion King‘s international opening weekend total was $87.2 million, short of its estimated $125 million debut. In all markets, Mufasa: The Lion King earned a global start of $122.2 million, short of the projected $180 million global debut.
How Mufasa: The Lion King’s Box Office Compares To Other Lion King Movies
Does Mufasa Stand Tall Against Other Franchise Movies?
Since 1994 and the origins of the Lion King franchise, there have been three theatrically released movies: the original The Lion King, 2019’s photo-realistic remake of the same name, and its 2024 prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King. Naturally, the latter is going to face comparisons to the former two regarding box office performance, which may shine a more negative light on its earnings thus far. Firstly, it is worth comparing Mufasa: The Lion King‘s box office to that of its immediate predecessor – or successor, concerning The Lion King franchise’s chronological timeline – 2019’s The Lion King.
2019’s The Lion King was a bonafide box office smash, earning a worldwide total of $1,656,943,394 by the end of its theatrical run. Evidently, Mufasa: The Lion King will need to massively improve upon its $350 million haul thus far to come anywhere close to the total of its peer. A large factor in The Lion King‘s success in 2019 was its opening, with the film’s 10-day debut seeing it earning a worldwide total of $540+ million, dwarfing Mufasa: The Lion King‘s 15-day opening – between December 20, 2024, and January 3, 2025 – of its current $350 million total.
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Where 1994’s The Lion King is concerned, comparisons can be somewhat unfair. Of course, the market was different 20 years ago than it is today, with inflation prices marking very different barometers of success in the modern industry. Regardless, an archived article from UPI lists the original The Lion King as earning a domestic opening weekend box office haul of $40.9 million. Adjusted for inflation, that number would equate to around $80 million today, comparing favorably against The Lion King‘s $45 million budget.
Both sequels to 1994’s The Lion King – The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride and The Lion King 1 1/2 – were direct-to-video releases for Disney, meaning they do not have box office earnings.
As alluded to, these numbers were never expected to match Mufasa: The Lion King‘s opening haul. That said, Mufasa: The Lion King has a long way to go to match the iconicity of 1994’s The Lion King. Box Office Mojo lists the original film’s worldwide box office total as $981,708,285 in the 20 years since its release, meaning Mufasa: the Lion King will have to triple its current box office total to overcome the movie that began the franchise.
What Mufasa: The Lion King’s Box Office Means For Disney’s Live-Action Remakes
The Lion King Franchise Is Likely To Continue
As is the case with every modern Hollywood movie, the box office total of Mufasa: The Lion King has an impact on one thing: the continuation of the franchise. Not only will the film’s earnings dictate the future of The Lion King IP, but also the future of upcoming Disney live-action remakes. Although they are often met with mostly mixed critical reception, Disney’s live-action remakes of the studio’s classic animated movies have been commercially popular. Mufasa: The Lion King, despite a disappointing start, seems on course to become equally popular in worldwide markets where the box office is concerned.
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With this in mind, it seems as though Disney’s live-action remakes will continue. While this reality will also depend on the performances of the three live-action remakes Disney has planned for 2025 and 2026 – Snow White, Lilo & Stitch, and Moana – Mufasa: The Lion King at least proves that worldwide audiences still have a desire to see such films. Where the Lion King franchise specifically is concerned, Mufasa: The Lion King‘s obvious setup for sequels and its strong box office so far seem to indicate that the probability of a return to the Pride Lands is rising like the sun.
Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel to the live-action remake of the original Disney animated film, The Lion King. The film will follow Mufasa in his early days; further plot details are currently under wraps. The film will likely explore Mufasa and Scar’s relationship and how it became as strained as it did. In the film, Timon and Pumba will return, with Billy Eicher and Seth Rogen reprising their roles.
- Release Date
-
December 20, 2024
- Director
-
Barry Jenkins
- Writers
-
Jeff Nathanson
, Linda Woolverton
, Irene Mecchi
, Jonathan Roberts