The impressive recent box office performance ofMufasa: The Lion Kingsets Disney up for a live-actionLion Kingsequel in the near future.Directed by Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins,Mufasa: The Lion Kingnot only follows theorigin story of Mufasa, Simba’s father, but also Scar, Mufasa’s brother who ran astray. Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) leads thecast ofMufasa: The Lion Kingalongside Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and Thandiwe Newton.
WhileMufasa: The Lion Kingdidn’t make nearly as much at the worldwide box office as its 2019 predecessor, it was still one of thehighest-grossing blockbusters of 2024. 2019’sThe Lion Kingdirected by Jon Favreau remains one of the highest-grossing movies of all time with its whopping $1.662 billion box office total. Remarkably,The Lion Kingwasn’t even the top-performing film of that historic year at the box office(Avengers: Endgameearned $2.8 billion and became the second highest-grossing movie ever made).
Mufasa: The Lion King Has Started To Turn A Profit For Disney After Making Over $500 Million
It’s on a trajectory to pass $600 million worldwide & become 2024’s 7th highest-grossing film
At the time of writing,Mufasa: The Lion Kinghas earned a worldwide total of $542.3 million, putting it in a good position to surpassKung Fu Panda 4($547.7 million) and potentiallyGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire($571.8 million).Mufasahad a budget of $200 million and movies typically need 2.5x their budget to break even and move into profitability. That would make $500 million the line to cross forMufasato become profitable, which it already has. Its next target is aiming for $600 million in the coming weeks, although it’s unlikely to surpassWicked’spush to $700 million.
Mufasa: The Lion King Handled Taka’s Scar Origin So Much Better Than Another Disney Movie
Mufasa: The Lion King finally reveals how Taka got his famous Scar, and it works so much better than another similar Disney origin story.
Mufasa’scurrentbox office trajectory indicates that it should turn a profit for Disneyjust from the theatrical box office. This doesn’t even take into account eventual streaming revenue, merchandise, and other money-making factors that storied franchises likeThe Lion Kingbenefit from. Even ifMufasafails to hit $700 million, which is less than half the box office total ofThe Lion King, its expected box office performance of $600 million or more is still impressive enough to justify Disney making another live-actionLion Kingfilm before the end of the 2020s.
Disney Can Now Feel Confident In Making More The Lion King Movies After Mufasa
Mufasa is still a winner despite not being one of the top-performing films of all time
Mufasa’s projected $600 million might not be close to the $1.6 billion earned by 2019’s live-action remake. However, its performance proves thatthere’s still substantial interest in Disney’s belovedLion Kingfranchise, enough to warrant making another live-action film at least. Franchise prequels have been a popular choice as franchise expansions but do not necessarily fare as well at the box office as true sequels, as evidenced by the disappointing box office performance ofFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga. Considering thatThe Lion King 2already has a 1998 animated sequel to base itself on, a live-action adaptation could and should be in the works.
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.
