Box Office: ‘Mufasa,’ ‘One of Them Days’ Maul ‘Wolf Man’ Over Slow MLK Holiday Weekend
Mufasa: The Lion King continues to find its footing at the box office, where it beat the openings of One of Them Days — the first female-led Black comedy since 2017’s Girls Trip — and Wolf Man over the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday despite being in its fifth weekend.
The bad news overall: it was one of the lowest MLK weekends in years as Hollywood and theaters face another slowdown in event product for the time being.
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Mufasa won the official four-day holiday with an estimated $15.5 million as it celebrated becoming only the second film in 15 years to jump the $200 million domestically despite opening to less than $40 million (it opened the weekend before Christmas. Through Monday, the origin pic has earned $209.8 million domestically and $382.2 million overseas dfor a global total of $592 million. While there’s no chance it will ever match 2019’s The Lion King ($1.66 billion), it’s staying power hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Disney’s film empire is also toasting animated Thanksgiving blockbuster Moana 2 for joining the billion-dollar-club over the MLK weekend to become only the third film released in 2024 to achieve that milestone behind fellow Disney releases Inside Out 2 ($1.67 billion) and Deadpool & Wolverine ($1.34 billion) The Moana sequel finished Monday with an estimated domestic cume of $448.8 million after earning another $8.4 million. Its overseas haul is $567.1 million for a global total $1.016 billion.
Sony and Tri-Star insiders are likewise feeling victorious over One of Them Days, which came in ahead of expectations with an estimated four-day opening $14.2 million, thanks to stellar reviews and exit polls, along with an A- CinemaScore. The pic succeeded in reaching its target audience, with females making up nearly 70 percent of ticket buyers and Black moviegoers, 48 percent. For the three-day weekend, it was in a dead-heat with Mufasa, but the latter pulled ahead for the four days thanks to kids being out of school on Monday.
One of Them Days is from acclaimed producer Issa Rae and stars Keke Palmer and SZA in her feature film acting debut. About two friends who have a terrible day, the pic was helmed by filmmaker Lawrence Lamont in her feature directorial debut.
From Blumhouse and Universal, Wolf Man tumbled to third in its debut with an estimated $12.5 million for the four days, notably behind an expected $20 million. The movie received meh reviews and even worse audience polls, along with a C- CinemaScore.
Hollywood’s latest attempt at rebooting Wolf Man certainly doesn’t lack for pedigree, between Blumhouse and writer-director Leigh Whannell, the duo behind 2020’s The Invisible Man, which was a surprise hit in earning north of $144 million globally.
Wolf Man stars Christopher Abbott as a San Francisco man who takes his wife (Julia Garner) and kids to his remote childhood home, only to find himself transforming into something unrecognizable as the family fights off a terrifying creature both inside and outside.
Paramount’s hit family film Sonic the Hedgehog 3 placed fourth in its fifth weekend with an estimated $11 million for the four days — the film is hosting select free screenings near areas ravaged by the wildfires on Monday — to finish the weekend with a domestic total of $218.9 million. It is now the top-grossing film in the hit franchise with a global tally of $422.4 million (it overseas tally through Sunday is $203.5 million).
Lionsgate’s Den of Thieves 2: Pantera fell to fifth place in its second weekend with with $7.8 million for domestic tally of $26.2 million.
There was plenty of action at the specialty box office as Oscar season heats up. Among various awards hopefuls, Searchlight’s A Complete Unknown came in No. 8 with $4.6 million from 2,500 locations for a hefty domestic total of $58.4 million, followed by Universal’s Thanksgiving smash musical Wicked, which has amassed north of $708 million globally. A24 took the next spot on the top 10 chart with Babygirl, which took in $2.5 million from 1,460 cinemas for a domestic total of $25.8 million, while top Golden Globes victor The Brutalist earned an estimated $2.4 million for the four days as it expanded into 338 locations for a projected domestic total of $5.8 million through Monday. Roadside Attraction’s The Last Showgirl grossed $1.1 million from 870 locations for a cume of $3.3 million. Paramount’s September 5, which is struggling as it slowly expands, grossed $440,000 from 121 locations for a total of $852,000.
Jan. 19, 8:30 a.m. Updated with revised estimates.
Jan. 20, 9: 30 a.m. Updated with revised estimates.
This story was originally published Jan. 18 at 9:11 a.m.
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