This Movie Succeeded at the Box Office Against All Odds
By Movieguide® Contributor
After an extremely slow debut, MUFASA has bounced back at the box office, beating out SONIC 3 as the top-grossing movie of 2025 to date on its way to a $700 million global gross.
MUFASA and SONIC 3 have both been at the top of the box office to start the year. With both releasing on December 20, 2024, they have enjoyed an extended stay in theaters. However, as their time on the big screen winds down, it is clear that MUFASA has been the winner of the two, despite a slow start.
The movie opened to $35.4 million domestically, spelling disaster for a sequel to a $1.7 billion dollar movie. Even more so considering it was unlikely to recoup the $200 million spent on production, which would have made it a verifiable flop.
READ MORE: FAMILY MOVIES WIN DECEMBER BOX OFFICE: MUFASA, SONIC BEAT R-RATED REELS
Miraculously, however, MUFASA was able to claw back, thanks to strong promotion through word-of-mouth along with an extended theatrical window before it hit streaming. MUFASA has turned into a hit, easily clearing its production costs and turning a strong profit for Disney. Along with amazing visuals, the movie is bolstered by its strong, family-friendly values. A portion of Movieguide®’s review reads:
MUFASA: THE LION KING is a beautifully animated adventure story with lots of jeopardy. The movie has great voice work by the entire cast and at least two highly memorable songs. Even better, MUFASA: THE LION KING has strong, inspiring ideas on what makes a great leader. For example, Mufasa’s love and compassion eventually helps unite the animals in a Promised Land. MUFASA also has a pro-family perspective that’s pro-adoption. That said, some of the action and fighting in MUFASA is too intense for children.
The success of MUFASA is especially delightful as the actors who worked on the movie experienced great joy while working on the story. It is wonderful to see a movie that the actors actually enjoy finding success.
“[It was] a deeply joyful and exciting experience to be gifted the opportunity to contribute in a small way to the legacy of [Mufasa], this beloved and cherished and celebrated character,” said Aaron Pierre, the voice of Mufasa. “I’m hopeful that I serve this character and serve the film and serve these wonderful artists that I had the opportunity to collaborate with. James Earl Jones’ original and beautiful and unmatched portrayal – that was my guiding light and really gave me direction and an intention when embarking on this journey.”
READ MORE: MUFASA RULES MLK WEEKEND BOX OFFICE AND BILLBOARD CHARTS
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