In the United States, the comedy film “One of Them Days,” featuring Keke Palmer, has claimed the top spot at the box office during a quiet Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
This R-rated movie, released by Sony, grossed approximately $11.6 million from 2,675 theaters, edging out Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” by a narrow margin, although it is anticipated that “Mufasa” will take the lead by the end of the holiday period on Monday.
Costing $14 million to produce, “One of Them Days” is set to earn back its budget by the holiday’s conclusion. The comedy, which has received positive reviews, stars Palmer alongside SZA as two friends and roommates racing against time to gather funds for their rent before facing eviction. It’s noteworthy as the first theatrical comedy led by Black women since the successful 2017 film “Girls Trip,” and it currently boasts an impressive 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite the success of “One of Them Days,” the overall box office performance was notably sluggish. The estimated total for the three-day period, spanning Friday to Sunday, is expected to fall below $80 million, marking it as one of the least profitable Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekends since 1997.
Senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian from Comscore commented, “For an individual film like ‘One of Them Days,’ this was a strong weekend. Even within a generally low-grossing weekend for theaters, success stories still emerge.”
In second place, Disney’s “Mufasa” brought in $11.5 million over the weekend, continuing its fifth week of release. To date, the prequel directed by Barry Jenkins has grossed an impressive $588 million worldwide. It also surpassed the newly released Blumhouse horror film, “Wolf Man,” which debuted in third with $10.6 million from 3,354 North American theaters.
“Wolf Man,” directed and written by Leigh Whannell and featuring actors Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, came into the market with lukewarm reviews, currently sitting at 53% on Rotten Tomatoes. Although horror films don’t typically rely on critical acclaim for a strong opening weekend, the film did receive a mediocre C- CinemaScore from exit polls. With a production budget of around $25 million, it is expected to reach $12 million by the end of the holiday.
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” secured the fourth position with earnings of $8.6 million, while “Den of Thieves 2” rounded out the top five with $6.6 million.
In the specialty film category, Brady Corbert’s extensive post-war film “The Brutalist” expanded to 388 screens, generating nearly $2 million over the weekend. A24, the studio behind the film, noted sold-out showings in both 70mm and IMAX formats. Additionally, A24 re-released its drama “Sing Sing,” featuring Colman Domingo, to theaters and correctional facilities, allowing over a million incarcerated individuals in 46 states to view the film.
Historically, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend has been notable for major film successes. Dergarabedian pointed out high-grossing titles from previous years, such as “Bad Boys for Life,” which debuted with $62.5 million in 2020, and “American Sniper,” which brought in $89.3 million during its first weekend in wide release in 2016.
Looking ahead, Dergarabedian expressed optimism for the upcoming months, stating, “This year is set to gain momentum with big releases like ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ and ‘Paddington in Peru’ coming in February.”
Here is a summary of estimated ticket sales for U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, based on data from Comscore, with final domestic figures to be published on Monday:
1. “One of Them Days,” $11.6 million.
2. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $11.5 million.
3. “Wolf Man,” $10.6 million.
4. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” $8.6 million.
5. “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” $6.6 million.
6. “Moana 2,” $6.1 million.
7. “Nosferatu,” $4.3 million.
8. “A Complete Unknown,” $3.8 million.
9. “Wicked,” $3.6 million.
10. “Babygirl,” $2 million.
