The bizarre Sonic and Mufasa conspiracy theory explained

The above tweet from Fracks Sonic Deals states that the account LonelyGoomba pointed out the lack of “Sonic 3” daily numbers. In fact, the account in question indicates that there are no reported numbers in a tweet say: “Sonic 3 isn’t even at the box office anymore. Disney obviously paid the website to sabotage Sonic 3 to make Mufasa look better, smh.” However, right below the replies also said, “(I’m kidding that Disney bribed them).”

(I joke that Disney bribed them)

– LonelyGoomba (@LonelyGoomba) January 1, 2025

Nevertheless, other users’ responses were like: “Your joke has some truth” or “Honestly, you’re probably not wrong.” It’s Disney.” Despite the joke, people were willing to believe that Disney would somehow interfere with daily box office reporting. For what purpose do I have to ask? As of this writing, “Mufasa” has grossed $342.5 million worldwide, while “Sonic 3” has grossed $210.5 million. “Sonic 3” is slightly ahead of “Mufasa” domestically, but it’s close.

“There is no conspiracy because both films are doing relatively well,” says Scott Mendelson, an industry-leading box office analyst The Outside Scoop on Substacktells / film. “‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ has earned a little more in recent weeks, but both films are performing just as well as (if not better than) their respective expectations and budgets.”

While “Mufasa” has a larger budget ($200 million versus $120 million for “Sonic 3”), in terms of raw numbers, Disney’s “Lion King” prequel sold more tickets worldwide. What motivation does Disney have for messing with these numbers? “Disney is not bribing Box Office Mojo and The Numbers to hide the numbers of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ because neither film has anything to hide,” Mendelson added.

Granted, The 2019 remake of The Lion King grossed a staggering $1.66 billion worldwideand became one of the greatest films of all time. In some ways, this new film’s performance so far could be seen as a relative disappointment. But for a company as big as Disney, that’s hardly enough to justify interference of this kind. Yet for whatever reason, people were ready and willing to believe this. Was this motivated by the hardcore “Sonic” fan base? Was it hate for Disney? In any case, it is misplaced and unfounded.