December 2024’s Mufasa: The Lion King will soon roar onto Disney+.
Serving as both a sequel and prequel to Disney’s billion-dollar-grossing 2019 hit The Lion King remake, Mufasa: The Lion King charts the path of a young cub as he comes into his destiny as ruler of the African savannah.
When Might Mufasa Begin Streaming on Disney Plus?
Mufasa: The Lion King landed in theaters on December 20 and quickly lost ground to the higher-earning Sonic the Hedgehog 3 which was released on the same day. Nevertheless, the Lion King follow-up did garner its share of acclaim.
So, it stands to reason that Disney+ would want to be precise with its timing when adding Mufasa to its streaming library. Too early, and the studio risks cannibalizing its own revenue as it competes with the film’s theatrical showings.
Moreover, Disney will also need to exhibit similar care when making Mufasa available to purchase digitally.
But when will Disney+ bring Mufasa: The Lion King on board? And when will it be on digital video-on-demand (DVOD)? Unfortunately, nothing official on that front has been announced. But that doesn’t mean that, through looking at prior data, a solid estimate can’t be ascertained.
By examining the time it took for Disney’s past few movies to reach DVOD (and later, Disney+) from their initial theatrical release date, a rough pattern begins to appear:
The Little Mermaid:
- Theatrical: May 26, 2023
- Digital: July 25, 2023 (60 days after theatrical)
- Streaming: September 6, 2023 (103 days after theatrical)
Elemental:
- Theatrical: June 16, 2023
- Digital: August 15, 2023 (60 days after theatrical)
- Streaming: September 12, 2023 (89 days after theatrical)
Wish:
- Theatrical: November 22, 2023
- Digital: January 23, 2024 (62 days after theatrical)
- Streaming: April 3, 2024 (134 days after theatrical)
Inside Out 2:
- Theatrical: June 14, 2024
- Digital: August 20, 2024 (67 days after theatrical)
- Streaming: September 25, 2024 (103 days after theatrical)
With all of this in mind, Mufasa: The Lion King will enjoy an approximately 60 to 67-day run in theaters before entering digital storefronts on February 18, give or take a day or three.
On top of that, about a 100-day window will need to elapse before Disney+ gets the film for streaming. So, Mufasa: The Lion King should begin streaming on Disney+ sometime around early April.
Could There Be Any More Lion King Movies?
Although Mufasa: The Lion King was effectively trampled by Sonic 3 and failed to live up to the 2019 original’s extraordinary return on investment, at the end of the day, the Lion King franchise is still one of Disney’s golden geese.
The traditionally animated The Lion King from 1994, with its sleek visuals, catchy original songs, and all-star cast was the highest-grossing movie of that year. It raked in $763 million during its first box office run.
Not only that but The Lion King did exceptionally well on the awards circuit, particularly for its score (composed by Hans Zimmer) and songs (performed by the one and only Elton John).
Disney returned to the well several times over the next few decades with theme park attractions, animated series, and direct-to-home-video sequels. The Lion King is even preserved in the Library of Congress on the basis of its cultural significance.
When the studio remade The Lion King with photorealistic CGI in 2019, its worldwide earnings fell over the billion-dollar mark. Its success flew in the face of detractors who questioned the need for the remake to exist and called out its uncanny valley visuals.
Mufasa may have fallen flat, but longtime fans can rest assured that Disney will find some means of squeezing more money out of this franchise. It may not be immediate, as the Mouse will likely let the property rest for a while.
But Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, and friends will eventually be back in some fresh form or fashion.
Walt Disney Studios’ Mufasa: The Lion King is now playing in theaters everywhere. A special look at Mufasa featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Barry Jenkins is also currently streaming on Disney+.
