"Mufasa: The Lion King" continues to thunder at the box office, poised to overshadow "One of Them Days" — the first female-led Black comedy since "Girls Trip" in 2017 — during the extended Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, as "Wolf Man" gets clawed by critical reception. The overarching gloom: it seems destined to be one of the slowest MLK weekends in recent years, amidst another lull in Hollywood's production pipeline and theatrical exhibition.
Bets are heavily placed on Disney's "Mufasa" to reign supreme and clinch the long holiday weekend with a projected haul of $15.5 million or more, marking it as only the second film in 15 years to surpass $200 million domestically despite an opening below $40 million. (Currently in its fifth week, the film is anticipated to conclude Monday with approximately $210 million or more in domestic ticket sales.)
The studio is also toasting the animated Thanksgiving smash "Moana 2," which will join the billion-dollar club this weekend, becoming the third film released in 2024 to surpass $1 billion, trailing behind fellow Disney releases "Inside Out 2" and "Deadpool & Wolverine" (which placed sixth domestically with $8.4 million in its eighth week).
Sony and Tri-Star insiders are equally jubilant over "One of Them Days," estimating a four-day debut of $14 million. On Saturday, it claimed a tie with "Mufasa" for the top spot over the four-day Hollywood weekend, exceeding expectations due to stellar reviews, exit polls, and an A- CinemaScore. It is also effectively tapping into its target audience, with Black moviegoers accounting for 46% of Friday ticket sales. It narrowly edged out "Mufasa" for the three-day weekend with $11.5 million versus $11.6 million.
"One of Them Days," produced by the acclaimed Issa Rae and starring Keke Palmer and SZA in her feature film debut, revolves around two friends enduring a disastrous day. The film is directed by filmmaker Lawrence Lamont in her feature directorial debut.
From Blumhouse and Universal, "Wolf Man" stumbled to third place in its debut with an estimated $12 million for the four days, significantly below expectations of $20 million. The movie garnered lukewarm reviews and even worse audience polls, along with a C- CinemaScore.
Hollywood's latest reboot of "Wolf Man" certainly boasts a storied pedigree, with Blumhouse and writer-director Leigh Whannell, the duo behind the surprise hit "The Invisible Man" (which earned over $144 million globally in 2020), at the helm. "Wolf Man" stars Christopher Abbott as a San Francisco man who, along with his wife (Julia Garner) and kids, ventures to his remote childhood home, where he begins transforming into an unrecognizable entity as the family battles a terrifying creature within and outside their home.
Paramount's hit family film "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" placed fourth in its fifth weekend with an estimated $11 million for the four days, hosting select free screenings in fire-ravaged areas of L.A. on Monday, to conclude the weekend with a domestic total of $218.9 million. It now stands as the top-grossing film in the franchise with a global tally of $422.4 million (its overseas tally through Sunday is $203.5 million).
Lionsgate's "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera" ranks fifth with $7.8 million, estimating a domestic total of $26.2 million.
The specialty box office was buzzing as Oscar season heated up (with nomination voting extended twice to Jan. 17 due to wildfires). Among the titles, Searchlight's "A Complete Unknown" secured eighth place with $3.8 million, pushing its domestic total to $58.4 million, followed by Universal's Thanksgiving musical smash "Wicked," which has amassed over $708 million globally. A24 claimed the next two spots on the chart with "Babygirl," which earned $2.5 million for a domestic total of $25.7 million, and "The Brutalist," which made an estimated $2.4 million for the four days as it expanded to 338 locations, projecting a total of $5.8 million through Monday. Roadside Attractions' "The Last Showgirl" is projected to gross $1 million from 870 locations, totaling $3.3 million. Paramount's "September 5," expanding more cautiously, is projecting a four-day weekend of $440,000 from 121 locations, summing up to $852,000.
