The Lion King’s $721 Million Success Is More Impressive After Snow White’s Underperformance

Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King had a strong box office run at the end of 2024; just four months later, Snow White‘s box office failure highlights just how impressive Mufasa‘s success was. Mufasa: The Lion King serves as a prequel to the events of The Lion King, detailing how Mufasa came to rule over the Pride Lands. The new installment in the Lion King franchise brings back beloved characters while telling a creative new story, and by Mufasa‘s ending, audiences understand Mufasa and Scar in a new light, while the movie teases potential future stories through Kiara.

The Lion King franchise as a whole is incredibly loved by Disney fans, and the fact that both Mufasa and its 2019 predecessor have been successful retellings proves that Disney’s live-action remakes can be lucrative when done right. At the time of writing, Mufasa has grossed $721.6 million worldwide, more than making back its $200 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). This box office total also puts it safely on the list of highest-grossing movies of 2024, highlighting just how much better the movie was received than Disney’s recent remake attempt with Snow White.

Mufasa: The Lion King Had A Lower Box Office Opening Weekend Than Snow White

Snow White Bested Mufasa For Just 4 Days

Mufasa received its wide release alongside Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on December 20, 2024, and came in second of the two during its opening weekend. Going into the holidays, Mufasa was initially expected to gross $50 million during its opening weekend, which was later lowered to $36 to 38 million (via Deadline). Mufasa ultimately ended up opening at $35.4 million. The movie received mixed reviews and projections did not look great in its initial days, but it went on to be far more successful than anyone predicted.

In contrast, Snow White, which struggled to overcome controversy leading up to its release, actually had a better opening weekend. The film was initially predicted to gross $63 to 70 million in its opening weekend, which (like Mufasa) was later lowered to $45 to 55 million (via Deadline). Snow White managed to gross $42.2 million in its first weekend and topped the box office, but it fell off sharply during its second weekend.

How Mufasa: The Lion King Still Became A Box Office Success

Mufasa Maintained Its Popularity Well

Mufasa having a worse opening weekend than Snow White is incredibly unusual given how successful it later became, especially when Snow White will certainly not be able to follow its lead. While Mufasa did not fare too well during its opening weekend, the movie did have great legs that allowed it to retain its popularity. It was a holiday release that was family-friendly, and, importantly, it got a lot of good press from social media where the movie’s new songs and story gained attention.

Compared to other movies with similar opening weekends, Mufasa is far above what would typically be expected, while Snow White has fallen slightly below. Mufasa grossed more domestically by its third week than Snow White has currently, but the biggest difference is how well the two have done globally. Internationally, Mufasa earned $466.2 million during its theatrical run, whereas Snow White has only grossed $91.3 million so far (via The Numbers). Thus, it seems audiences both in the U.S. and abroad favored Mufasa: The Lion King, leaving Snow White far behind.

Source: Box Office Mojo, Deadline, The Numbers

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  Mufasa: The Lion King

  
  

  7/10

  Release Date

  December 18, 2024
  

  Runtime

  118 minutes

  Director

  Barry Jenkins

  Writers

  Jeff Nathanson

  Producers

  Peter M. Tobyansen, Adele Romanski

  
  

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    Aaron Pierre

    Mufasa (voice)

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    Kelvin Harrison Jr.

    Taka (voice)

  
  

  
  

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  Snow White

  
  

  5/10

  Release Date

  March 21, 2025
  

  Runtime

  109 Minutes

  Director

  Marc Webb

  Writers

  Erin Cressida Wilson, Wilhelm Grimm

  Producers

  Callum McDougall, Marc Platt

  
  

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