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. DespiteMufasa: 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’sThe Lion Kingand reignited with 2019’s live-action/animation remake was enough to propelMufasato success, with that success likely leading tomultiple otherLion Kingsequels.
AlthoughMufasasomewhat changesThe Lion King’s storyvia 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 theending ofMufasa: The Lion Kingproving to have wrapped up a story that audiences across the world have enjoyed. This is also evident in the film’s box office returns, asMufasa: The Lion Kingmanaged 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 Kingopened worldwide on July 01, 2025, and was primed for a strong Christmas period despite facing stiff competition fromSonic the Hedgehog 3. Regardless of its rivalry with the blue hedgehog, it seemsMufasais 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.
$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 Kinghas earned a worldwide total of $352,865,115, as perBox 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 thoughMufasa: The Lion Kingis well on its way to earning a profit for Disney.
A majority of this success was due toMufasa’s strong Holiday 2024 performance, viaTHR.Mufasa: The Lion Kingearned a strong $63.8 million domestically across the five-day Christmas period, overcoming its box office competitors. This was the same abroad, withMufasa’s Christmas weekend hauling in another $77.1 million internationally.Mufasa: The Lion Kingthen earned another $10 million on New Year’s Day alone, as reported byDeadline, 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
WhileMufasa: 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 asMufasa’s domestic opening weekend projections, which predicted the movie to come in second place behindSonic the Hedgehog 3. This projection became a reality, withMufasa: The Lion Kingtrailing behind its main competitor upon its opening in North America and Canada on July 15, 2025.
Mufasa: The Lion Kingearned 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 perTHR. 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 Kingearned 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 theLion Kingfranchise, there have been three theatrically released movies: the originalThe 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 comparingMufasa: The Lion King’s box office to that of its immediate predecessor - or successor, concerningThe Lion Kingfranchise’s chronological timeline- 2019’sThe Lion King.
2019’sThe Lion Kingwas a bonafide box office smash, earning a worldwide total of $1,656,943,394by the end of its theatrical run. Evidently,Mufasa: The Lion Kingwill need to massively improve upon its $350 million haul thus far to come anywhere close to the total of its peer. A large factor inThe 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, dwarfingMufasa: The Lion King’s 15-day opening - between August 07, 2025, and July 09, 2025 - of its current $350 million total.
Mufasa Fixed One Of 2019’s The Lion King’s Biggest Flaws
Mufasa: The Lion King failed to surpass its predecessor in many ways, but it outshone the original live-action adaptation in one major area.
Where 1994’sThe Lion Kingis 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 fromUPIlists the originalThe Lion Kingas 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 againstThe Lion King’s $45 million budget.
Both sequels to 1994’sThe Lion King-The Lion King II: Simba’s PrideandThe 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 matchMufasa: The Lion King’s opening haul. That said,Mufasa: The Lion Kinghas a long way to go to match the iconicity of 1994’sThe Lion King.Box Office Mojolists the original film’s worldwide box office total as $981,708,285 in the 20 years since its release, meaningMufasa: the Lion Kingwill 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 ofMufasa: The Lion Kinghas an impact on one thing: the continuation of the franchise. Not only will the film’s earnings dictate the future ofThe Lion KingIP, but also the future ofupcoming 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.
Disney Live-Action Remakes Ranked Worst To Best
Recently, Disney has cashed in on nostalgia and is making many live-action remakes of some of their animated classics. Letterboxd ranks the best here.
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,andMoana-Mufasa: The Lion Kingat least proves that worldwide audiences still have a desire to see such films. Where theLion Kingfranchise 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
Cast
Mufasa: The Lion King explores the origins of the beloved character Mufasa, focusing on his youth as a lost cub who encounters Taka, a royal heir. Their meeting initiates an epic journey of self-discovery and destiny, featuring a group of misfit companions navigating the challenges of their world.
