Mufasa: The Lion King has passed $500 worldwide at the box office, making it a commercial success for Disney. While this is nowhere near the gargantuan $1.6 billion raked in by 2019’s The Lion King, it’s a pretty big achievement nonetheless, especially against the movie’s reported budget of $200 million.
According to Box Office Mojo, Mufasa: The Lion King brought in $188 million domestically while its worldwide ticket sales pushed it over the $500 million mark. The prequel, which follows the childhoods of Mufasa and Scar before their rivalry, was better received by critics than the first live-action outing, though it was still heavily criticised for its writing and less-expressive characters in live-action format when compared to the beloved 90s animation.
Mufasa: The Lion King released last December around the same time as Sonic The Hedgehog 3, pitting the two family movies against each other. While Mufasa ended up taking the lion’s share of the box office numbers, critical reception was considerably more in favour of Sonic The Hedgehog 3 which currently sits at an 87% approval rating on the review aggregate website RottenTomatoes versus Mufasa‘s 56% approval. It also seems like Sonic won the audience approval as well.
The plot description for Mufasa: The Lion King reads:
“Mufasa, a young lion cub separated from his parents by a flood, finds himself rescued by another cub named Taka. They form a strong bond despite their differing backgrounds, but their friendship is tested when a threat to their pride forces them to confront their pasts and determine their true loyalties.”
If you’re itching to go to the movies this January, have a look at all the movies coming out in South African cinemas this month including Nosferatu, Anora and A Complete Unknown starring Timothée Chalamet as a young Bob Dylan in a musical biopic. Nosferatu will also get a very limited release in South Africa. More details on that right here.
Source: Box Office Mojo