‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ ultimately reigns over MLK holiday domestic box office
More than the king of lions, Mufasa: The Lion King also managed to pull out a last-minute win at the box office over the 4-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
While early estimates saw competitor One of Them Days winning the long weekend, Mufasa upset expectations by adding $3.8 million on the Monday holiday, ending with an estimated $15.5 million domestic gross over the period.
The live-action, Barry Jenkins-directed film had the benefit of a built-in audience of families and Disney devotees of all ages who still have fond memories of the 1994 animated hit The Lion King, which featured voices including Whoopi Goldberg, Matthew Broderick, and the late James Earl Jones, as well as 2009’s remake directed by Jon Favreau and featuring the voices of Beyoncé, Donald Glover, and Seth Rogen.
Mufasa, a prequel about the title character’s origin, was projected to have raised its global box office total to $588 million. The new production, featuring the voices of Keith David, Thandiwe Newton, Mads Mikkelsen, and Anika Noni Rose, is in its fifth weekend.
Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Meanwhile, the Keke Palmer- and SZA-led comedy One of Them Days was estimated to have taken in a total of $14.23 million in the same four days, its debut weekend.
Wolf Man, the Blumhouse reimagining of the classic horror monster, took third place in the U.S. by taking in $12.5 million. The new release stars Julia Garner and Christopher Abbott.
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Much further down the chart were two other family films, both animated, that have been in theaters for weeks. Released Dec. 20, Jim Carrey and Keanu Reeves’ Sonic the Hedgehog 3 brought in another $11 million, bringing its total global earnings to $218.9 million.
Bringing up the rear in the top 5 was Moana 2, a November release that also comes from a legacy property at the House of Mouse. The movie, which stars the voices of Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, added $8.1 million to its total gross. In all, the flick has pocketed a cool $444.8 million globally.
