“Mufasa: The Lion King” has spent its box office run so far in second place behind “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” but Disney’s photorealistically animated adventure has started 2025 off on a high note, finally claiming the No. 1 spot in its third weekend. Per The Wrap, “Mufasa” is on track to add $24 million to its domestic total over the first weekend of the year, with “Sonic the Hedgehog” close on its heels with an estimated $20.7 million.
Though it got off to a disappointing start with a $35 million opening weekend, “Mufasa: The Lion King” has been doing steady box office business since. Instead of the typical second weekend drop, it experienced a second weekend gain, grossing $36.8 million in its post-Christmas, pre-New Year weekend window. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which beat “Mufasa” when the two movies first opened side-by-side, dropped 38% and barely held on to the top spot last weekend. Both movies will pass the $400 million mark at the worldwide box office this weekend, with “Sonic 3” setting a new franchise record.
Directed by Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”), “Mufasa” is a prequel to Jon Favreau’s live-action(ish) remake of “The Lion King,” but otherwise tells an original story with new songs by Disney favorite Lin-Manuel Miranda. While “Mufasa” won’t match the astonishing $1.6 billion gross of 2019’s “The Lion King,” it no longer looks doomed to total box office disaster — and January has delivered miracles for family movies before.
