Walt Disney Studios roared into theaters over the holidays with Mufasa: The Lion King, the story that revealed the background of one of cinema's most iconic characters. Like many Disney projects, the film is a musical adaptation, and its box office returns have thrust the film into a record-breaking group: Mufasa is now one of the top 10 highest-grossing movie musicals of all time, according to The Numbers. The film was able to attain this milestone after only a few weeks in theaters.
Mufasa has garnered a global box office total of $542 million through Jan. 14. This includes a domestic box office haul of $189 million and international totals of $352 million. The film's worldwide totals passed the $500 million mark this weekend, helping it vault it into the tenth place all-time for movie musicals, ahead of 2016's La La Land, which brought in a total of $506 million. Reports indicate that Mufasa was made for about $200 million, meaning that the project has more than doubled its budget.
However, it still remains far short of the highest-grossing movie musical ever, 2019's Frozen II, which brought in a staggering $1.4 billion globally. The first film in the franchise, Frozen, sits in second place with $1.2 billion at the box office. The Numbers does not consider 2019's The Lion King, the predecessor to Mufasa, a musical movie; if it did, however, the film would place first on the list with a $1.6 billion worldwide haul, far above what Mufasa has earned to date.
'Mufasa' Tells the Story of the Famed Lion
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Mufasa depicts the early life of the eponymous lion, voiced by Aaron Pierre (in the original 1994 film, Mufasa is voiced by the late James Earl Jones, who is remembered in a title card at the beginning of Mufasa). It follows Mufasa as he is separated from his parents in a flood and crosses paths with another lion cub, Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). Taka is the heir to his lion kingdom, and the pair grow up as close friends. However, when a hoard of white lions invades Taka and Mufasa's land, the pair must go on a journey to save their pride and stop the invaders. As this happens, Taka's attitude begins shifting, and he eventually becomes known as the villainous Scar.
The film also stars many characters from the 2019 project and the original 1994 classic. This includes Rafiki (John Kani), Timon (Billy Eichner), and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen). This trio reprises their roles from the 2019 film alongside Donald Glover and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Simba and Nala. The film also features Mads Mikkelsen, Thandie Newton, Tiffany Boone, and more. It was directed by Barry Jenkins from a screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, and features music from Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film comes from Walt Disney Pictures and was produced by Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak.
Mufasa: The Lion King is in theaters now.
5 10
Mufasa: The Lion King
PG
Adventure
Family
Animation
Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel to the live-action remake of the original Disney animated film, The Lion King.
Release Date December 18, 2024
Director Barry Jenkins
Cast Kelvin Harrison Jr. , Aaron Pierre , Tiffany Boone , Kagiso Lediga , Preston Nyman , Blue Ivy Carter , John Kani , Mads Mikkelsen , Seth Rogen , Billy Eichner , Thandiwe Newton , Lennie James , Anika Noni Rose , Keith David , Braelyn Rankins , Donald Glover , Beyoncé , Folake Olowofoyeku , Joanna Jones , Thuso Mbedu , Sheila Atim , Abdul Salis , Dominique Jennings , Derrick L. McMillon , Maestro Harrell
Runtime 118 minutes
Writers Jeff Nathanson
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