Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King is seeking similar financial success as its predecessor, which earned $1.6 billion worldwide at the box office. The film may have difficulty achieving similar returns due, in part, to the mixed reviews the 2019 film received. The major question will be how interested fans will be in the Lion King live-action prequel story. The highly anticipated movie will hope to continue the trend of its acclaimed director, Barry Jenkins.
Jenkins has had an impressive career as a director and producer. His works often revolve around themes of black identity, parenting, and friendships. His most notable work, Moonlight, earned him multiple accolades, including the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Described as both a prequel and a sequel, Mufasa: The Lion King will be Jenkins’ first movie as a director since 2018. Looking at Jenkins’ body of work, Mufasa should become a critical success.
Barry Jenkins Has Only Directed Critically Acclaimed Movies Before Mufasa: The Lion King
He Has A Track Record Of Continued Success
Critics have overwhelmingly admired the movies from Barry Jenkins since his career began in 2008. Each of his films as a director has garnered a score of at least 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. His works in television have also achieved similar numbers. He was also an executive producer and director of the 2021 series The Underground Railroad (94% on Rotten Tomatoes). The success of Jenkins’ movies and shows has secured him a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after directors.
|
Barry Jenkins Feature Films (as director) |
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
|---|---|
|
Medicine For Melancholy (2008) |
85% |
|
Moonlight (2016) |
98% |
|
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) |
95% |
Mufasa: The Lion King will be a different story for Jenkins, as he has never worked on a large blockbuster production like this before. He has also written all of the films he previously directed, which was not the case for Mufasa. Given the circumstances, if Jenkins gains the favor of critics as he has in the past, his continuous trend of critical success will be all the more impressive.
Mufasa: The Lion King Needs To Beat 2019’s Lion King To Keep Barry Jenkins’ RT Streak Going
The Film Received A Score Of 51%
To continue his streak of fresh movies on Rotten Tomatoes, Barry Jenkins will need to do more than beat 2019’s The Lion King score. In order for Mufasa to be fresh, the prequel movie must attain a score of at least 60%, which means the movie could top its score and still fall short of being fresh. The advantage this movie will have is that it will not be a retelling of a story we already know but a new original story to expand the lore of The Lion King. There is also a disadvantage to this, which could prevent the movie from becoming fresh.
Weary attitudes towards The Lion King prequels have forced Jenkins to defend the Mufasa prequel from criticism. Barry Jenkins is an acclaimed director and his inspiring stories evoke strong emotional responses, and he has not had a project be critically rotten on Rotten Tomatoes. Mufasa: The Lion King will be a new challenge for Jenkins, but his talent puts him in a good position to carry the prequel to a fresh Rotten Tomatoes score.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel to the live-action remake of the original Disney animated film, The Lion King. The film will follow Mufasa in his early days; further plot details are currently under wraps. The film will likely explore Mufasa and Scar’s relationship and how it became as strained as it did. In the film, Timon and Pumba will return, with Billy Eicher and Seth Rogen reprising their roles.
- Director
- Barry Jenkins
- Release Date
- December 20, 2024
- Writers
- Jeff Nathanson
- Main Genre
- Adventure
