Box Office: 'Mufasa - The Lion King' Underperforms With $122+ Million Worldwide Opening; Good In India

Mumbai, December 23 - Disney's animated adventure drama Mufasa: The Lion King was the number 1 movie at the worldwide box office this past weekend, however, it failed to match the high expectations and largely underperformed at the domestic and overseas box office.

The Barry Jenkins' directorial prequel to The Lion King (2019) grossed just $35 million in its domestic (North America) opening weekend, well behind the industry's projection of $50+ million. Overseas also, the film didn't leave up to the expectations at $87.2 million for a worldwide cume of $122.2 million.



While the movie topped the global box office, it landed far behind pre-release expectations of $130 million overseas and $180 million globally. China was the biggest market for Mufasa with $7.8 million, followed by France with $7.7 million, and Mexico with $7.1 million.

Meanwhile, the movie did well at the Indian box office, benefitting from the voiceover of superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Mahesh Babu. In its 3-day opening weekend, the film grossed approximately 46 crores (including 3D charges). The original The Lion King grossed 65+ crores in India in its first weekend.

Mufasa now hopes to regain the lost ground during the Christmas and New Year holidays. However, it is unlikely to get anywhere near the first film which delivered a mighty $1.66 billion at the global box office as one of the biggest grossers ever with a similar kind of reception from critics.

Stay tuned...