The Lion King Set for Another Reign? Disney Eyes New Chapter After $3.3 Billion Haul

Disney might not be done roaring just yet. Less than a year after Mufasa hit theaters, there is chatter that another The Lion King movie is already basically good to go. Not confirmed by the studio, but the rumor mill is humming.

So... is a new Lion King really happening?

According to industry tipster Daniel Richtman (posted on his Patreon), Disney has another Lion King installment lined up. Disney has not commented, so treat it as what it is: a strong rumor with no official stamp. Still, the timing tracks with how this franchise gets handled when it prints money.

Why keep pushing? Because Lion King money is still Lion King money

Per The Numbers, the five Lion King films have pulled in over $3.3 billion combined. The last two alone did the heavy lifting: the 2019 photorealistic remake grossed about $1.66 billion worldwide, and 2024's Mufasa: The Lion King banked $722.6 million. If you are Disney, you hear that and think: strike while the iron is still sizzling. Which, yes, sounds more like a business decision than a creative epiphany.

Fans are... not thrilled

Online reaction to the prospect of another entry has been predictably salty. The gist: two big-screen trips back to Pride Rock in five years already felt like a lot, and a third risks oversaturation. The words 'creative bankruptcy' and 'cash grab' are getting tossed around. The broader headache here is obvious: these revivals live or die on nostalgia, and you have to walk a very thin line between familiar and repetitive. People keep pointing to Disney's ongoing Snow White situation as the cautionary tale. On the flip side, others argue the recent live-action Lilo & Stitch landing well shows these updates can work when handled right. In other words, execution matters.

If Disney does another one, what would it be?

The cleanest move would be to riff on The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. The 1998 animated sequel (still underrated, if you ask me) follows Kiara, the daughter of Simba and Nala, and her forbidden bond with Kovu, a lion from an exiled pride who was groomed to be Scar's heir. That setup neatly extends the current timeline of the CG-led films and brings in new dynamics while staying rooted in the series' core themes: family, legacy, jealousy, redemption, identity. After the 2019 remake and the photorealistic prequel/sequel Mufasa in 2024, continuing forward with Kiara and Kovu feels... obvious.

How the franchise has performed so far

• The Lion King (1994) — Rotten Tomatoes 92%, IMDb 8.5, box office $979.16 million
• The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998) — Rotten Tomatoes 67%, IMDb 6.4, box office not reported theatrically
• The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata (2004) — Rotten Tomatoes 76%, IMDb 6.5, box office $1,465
• The Lion King (2019) — Rotten Tomatoes 52%, IMDb 6.8, box office $1.66 billion
• Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) — Rotten Tomatoes 56%, IMDb 6.6, box office $722.6 million

Yes, that $1,465 for the 2004 midquel is exactly the number listed. Make of that what you will.

Where to watch

The Lion King films are streaming on Disney+.