Mufasa: The Lion King
has just crossed a new box office milestone, beating Emma Stone’s Oscar-winning film to enter a prestigious top-10 list. Directed by Barry Jenkins, the Lion King prequel movie chronicles Mufasa’s origin as he embarks on an epic journey with fellow lion Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. Mufasa reviews have been mixed from critics, but the film has fared generally well with audiences, becoming a box office success.

New data from The Numbers now reveals that Mufasa has grossed $542 million worldwide, surpᴀssing La La Land ($506M) to become the tenth highest-grossing movie musical of all time. This worldwide total comprises $189 million domestic and $352 million from overseas territories. The Lion King prequel currently falls short of тιтles like The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia!, and Wonka. Check out the full top 10 list and their worldwide totals below:

What Mufasa’s Box Office Means For The Movie

How It Compares To The Lion King

Mufasa was made on an estimated production budget of $200 million, putting its break-even point between $400 million and $500 million, using the traditional Hollywood rule of thumb. Purely from a financial perspective, then, the Lion King prequel is a success. When looking at its predecessor and the reviews, however, a slightly more complicated picture emerges.

As of writing, the Disney film has only a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising some of the songs and voice performances from the Mufasa voice cast, but taking issue with the pH๏τoreal animation style and certain story choices. This score puts it just ahead of 2019’s The Lion King, which has a 51% score, but the prequel falls short when it comes to box office. The 2019 movie, which was directed by Jon Favreau, was a mᴀssive hit, grossing $1.656 billion, a number Mufasa will clearly not be reaching.

Our Take On Mufasa’s New Box Office Milestone

What Other Musical Movies The Prequel Could Beat

It’s coming up on a month since Mufasa was released in theaters, meaning its major earning window is winding to a close. Though it will surely continue a steady performance over the next month, it won’t be hitting $1 billion. When all is said and done, the Lion King prequel could end up beating The Little Mermaid and Mamma Mia!, but beating Wonka is looking like a stretch.

In any case, it’s clear that Mufasa has done its job for Disney, and it ultimately marks a strong end to 2024 for the company after a disappointing 2023. Even though reception to the movie hasn’t been glowing from critics, the 89% RT audience score suggests its connecting with its target audience, which is all that matters.

Source: The Numbers