Barry Jenkins’ ‘Mufasa’ Leads First Box Office Weekend of 2025

Mufasa: The Lion King, the digitally-rendered animal musical directed by Moonlight’s very own Barry Jenkins, has managed to beat out competition from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Nosferatu to take the top spot for 2025’s first box office weekend.

According to The Wrap, Mufasa, which was released on December 20, 2024, has earned an estimated $24 million with its third weekend in theaters, bringing its domestic total to $168 million. The outlet also noted that the film will cross $400 million in global grosses this weekend.

Mufasa serves as both a prequel and sequel to the 2019 Lion King remake. The film marks the return of actors Donald Glover and Beyoncé (who reprise their roles as Simba and Nala, respectively, from the remake) as well as newcomers Aaron Pierre, Thandiwe Newton and Beyoncé’s own daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.

Jenkins has discussed taking on such a franchise ahead of Mufasa’s release.

In a recent Associated Press interview, he talked about why he accepted the project, saying that it “came down to the spirit and the warmth of Jeff Nathanson’s script and also the spirit and the warmth I always found in the story.”

“I came to The Lion King by babysitting my nephews way, way back in the 1990s. My sister was a single mom and I’d be at home watching with the kids. You’d put on different VHSs and The Lion King was always the one that stuck,” he continued. “I just thought: Wouldn’t it be interesting to, coming out of something like The Underground Railroad , to step into this thing that’s so full of light?”