Summary
Disney’sMufasa: The Lion Kingmay have lost the initial box-office battle to Paramount’sSonic the Hedgehog 3, but recent post-Christmas numbers suggest that the photo-realistic animation is resilient and still well in the war.
Mufasa: The LionKing’s tale of Mufasa and Scar before the former ruled the Pridelands opened with $35 million from 4,100 theaters in North America, and $87.2 million overseas across a three-day weekend.With that, the Barry Jenkins film trailed behind the $50 million domestic projections,the $191.8 million domestic and $254 million international of its 2019 predecessor,The Lion King,and also placed second in the US box office charts for the December 20-22 weekend—behind rivalSonic the Hedgehog 3’s $60 million opener. However,Mufasa: The Lion Kingmade a steady comeback on the road to its second weekend.
Mufasa: The Lion King Narrowly Missed Out On the Top Spot in Its Second Weekend
It Finished Its Second Weekend With a Mere $200,000 Less Than Chart-Leader Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Box office analysts had already predictedMufasa: The Lion Kingto take advantage of the Christmas audience, and it did, making $14.7 million and becoming the top dog at the US box office. It has kept that momentum going beyond Christmas—grossing $12 million on Boxing Day—and into its second weekend. According toLuiz Fernando on Xand corroborated byBox Office Mojo,Mufasa: The Lion Kinggrossed roughly $36.8 million domestically—a +3.8% rise—and $77 million overseas—a mere -11.8 decrease—in its second weekend in theaters.At the close of the last weekend of 2024, the movie came just $200,000 short of matchingSonic the Hedgehog 3’s $37 million and topping the US box office charts.
For context,Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s $37 million represents a -38% drop from its first weekend. Compared toThe Lion King’s second three-day weekend in July2019, the numbers forMufasa: The Lion Kingare even more impressive:Jon Favreau’s moviedropped -60% in its second domestic weekend ($76.6 million versus $191.8 million of Weekend 1). Overall though, the movie is not even close to matching its predecessor’s $1.66 billion cume. As of this writing,Mufasa: The Lion Kinghas grossed $120 million in the United States and Canada and $215 million across 53 international markets for a global total of $335 million.
There’s little debate among box office experts thatMufasa: The Lion Kingwould finish belowSonic the Hedgehog 3in North America. There’s also no argument thatMufasa: The Lion Kingis holding out in the holiday corridor better than expected after debuting with a not-so-solid 55% Rotten Tomatoes score and coming under pressure from not just the blue blur, but alsoMoana 2andWicked. A $200 million domestic finish is probable—a $175 million bow is almost guaranteed—and a $550 million global finish would still blend well with its reported $200 million budget, even as it fell short of cracking into the top 20 highest-grossing movies of 2024. WithWickedweakened by a premature digital release, fans would watch closely as the lion and the hedgehog swap seats at the US box office throne.
Mufasa: The Lion Kingwas released on December 20 and is currently showing in theaters worldwide.
