New movie Musafa: The Lion King has put in a solid performance at the box office in the weeks since its release. But how does it compare to others in the franchise?
The follow-up to the 2019’s live action remake of The Lion King boasts a star-studded cast that includes Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Taka), Donald Glover (Simba), Aaron Pierre (Mufasa), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa), Billy Eichner (Timon), Lennie James (Obasi), and Thandiwe Newton (Eshe), as well as Grammy-winning musician Beyoncé (Nala) and her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter (Kiara).
Bowing on December 18, the movie opened with $35,409,365 domestically, according to Box Office Mojo. To date, Mufasa has pulled in $138,516,080 domestically and $214,349,035 internationally for a grand total of $352,865,115.
Large though those numbers may seem, they actually pale in comparison to the 2019 remake of The Lion King, which opened domestically with $191,770,759. It went on to earn $543,638,043 domestically and $1,118,382,776 internationally, making its worldwide total $1,662,020,819.
(L-R): Sarabi (voiced by Tiffany Boone), Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre), Rafiki (voiced by Kagiso Lediga), and Taka (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) in Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King.” The movie was released in December.
(L-R): Sarabi (voiced by Tiffany Boone), Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre), Rafiki (voiced by Kagiso Lediga), and Taka (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) in Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King.” The movie was released in December.
© 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc.
Of course, it’s early days for Mufasa, which hasn’t even been released for a full month yet. It is well-liked with audiences (holding an A- CinemaScore), and prequels have traditionally had slower starts.
As noted by movie consulting firm FranchiseRe, which covers box office performance, Pixar’s Elemental opened with $29,602,429 domestically but went on to finish with $496,444,308 worldwide.
David A. Gross, who publishes the FranchiseRe newsletter, said in his box office round-up that the “story is not finished yet” for Mufasa.
The original Lion King, which is often lauded as an enduring Disney classic, actually trails the pack in terms of sheer numbers.
On its opening weekend back in 1994, the animated favorite earned $1,586,753 domestically. Over time, this increased dramatically to $424,979,720 domestically and $556,489,676 internationally for a $981,708,285 global total. Of course, these numbers don’t take into account such factors as inflation, which would considerably increase the total.
The original tale of Simba released more than 30 years ago was brought to life by an all-star cast that included Matthew Broderick as the voice of the lion prince, James Earl Jones in the role of Mufasa, Jeremy Irons as Scar, Whoopi Goldberg as Shenzi, and Rowan Atkinson as Zazu. Also voicing another integral character was Nathan Lane, one half of the adorable duo Timon and Pumbaa.
Such was the Disney film’s acclaim that it was nominated for four Academy Awards and won two. Sir Elton John and Tim Rice took home the Oscar for best original song with “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” while Hans Zimmer won for best original score.
As for why the Lion King franchise is such an enduring force for audiences, FranchiseRe’s Gross recently told Newsweek: “The Lion King in 1994 elevated animation movies to a new level of appeal the industry hadn’t seen before. The Lion King connected with everyone—all ages, females and males, everywhere around the world. You can see in the numbers how well the stories translated around the world.”
How ‘Mufasa’ Compares to Other ‘Lion King’ Movies at Box Office
