The much-awaited prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, is expected to have a strong opening at the Indian box office. Early reports suggest the film could earn around Rs 10 crore on its opening day. This prequel to The Lion King has gained attention due to its star-studded voice cast in the Hindi and Telugu versions, which includes Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and South Indian star Mahesh Babu.
Ahead of its release on Friday, the film has already sold about 65,000 tickets in advance bookings across national chains in India, with 35,000 of those tickets for the opening day itself. The Telugu version, which features Mahesh Babu’s voice, has seen particularly strong pre-sales.
In the Hindi version, Shah Rukh Khan reprises his role as Mufasa and is joined by his sons Aryan Khan and AbRam Khan. Aryan will voice Simba, while AbRam will make his voice-acting debut as the younger Mufasa. The Hindi cast also includes Meiyang Chang as Taka, with Shreyas Talpade and Sanjay Mishra returning to voice Timon and Pumbaa.
With strong advance ticket sales and the star power behind the various dubbed versions of the film, Mufasa is expected to earn around Rs 8-9 crore on its opening day. If walk-in sales are strong, the film may even reach or exceed the Rs 10 crore mark.
If it does, it would match the success of its predecessor, the 2019 blockbuster The Lion King, which earned Rs 11.10 crore on its opening day and eventually crossed Rs 100 crore at the Indian box office.
Mufasa: The Lion King explores the backstory of the iconic character Mufasa, allowing fans to learn more about his journey before becoming the king of the Pride Lands.
However, the film will face tough competition at the Indian box office from Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2: The Rule. At the international box office, it will also compete with Sonic The Hedgehog 3.
