“The Lion King” prequel grosses $122 million worldwide

“Mufasa” has dominated the box office worldwide, but the “Lion King” prequel lacks the bite of Disney’s previous live-action adaptations.

The film, a prequel to director Jon Favreau’s 2019 photorealistic remake The Lion King, grossed $87.2 million overseas and $122 million worldwide. Although these ticket sales were enough to top the worldwide box office charts, the film fell far short of pre-release expectations of $130 million overseas and $180 million worldwide. “Mufasa” also missed projections in North America, earning just $35 million in its debut but coming in second behind Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” ($62 million). The third “Sonic” adventure doesn’t open at the international box office until December 25th.

China was the largest market for “Mufasa” at $7.8 million at the start, followed by France at $7.7 million, Mexico at $7.1 million and the United Kingdom at $5.5 million US dollars.

Barry Jenkins, best known for his Academy Award-winning film “Moonlight,” directed “Mufasa,” a prequel about the formative years of the future ruler of the Pride Lands. It takes place before Favreau’s The Lion King, which grossed a whopping $1.66 billion at the global box office despite mixed reviews.

“Mufasa,” which must overcome mediocre critical sentiments, features music by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and the voices of Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Mufasa and Scar. Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Mads Mikkelsen and Blue Ivy Carter round out the star ensemble. The film has a huge price tag of over $200 million, so Disney needs to keep “Mufasa” going throughout the new year to justify its cost and extend the studio’s box office streak with “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Moana” continues 2.”

“Moana 2” brought in another $32.8 million from 52 territories over the weekend. The sequel, originally commissioned for streaming, has become a box office success with $431 million internationally and $790.2 million worldwide. It’s on track to become Disney’s third release of 2024 to cross the $1 billion mark.

Elsewhere at the international box office, Universal’s “Wicked” adaptation collected another $12.6 million in 81 markets. The high-budget musical, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, has grossed $383 million domestically and $571 million worldwide. It is the world’s second-biggest Broadway remake, behind 2008’s “Mamma Mia” ($611 million).

Paramount’s “Gladiator II” brought in $5.4 million over the weekend, bringing its overseas tally to $262.3 million. A quarter-century in the making, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 Oscar-winning epic “Gladiator” has grossed $416 million worldwide, representing big business for theater owners. Still, the film won’t claw its way out of the red for Paramount, which spent more than $250 million on its return to the arena.