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Mufasa: The Lion King continues to roar at the box office, where it’s in a close race with One of Them Days — the first female-led Black comedy since 2017’s Girls Trip — for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday crown as Wolf Man gets gouged.
The bad news overall: it looks to be one of the slowest MLK weekends in years as Hollywood and theaters face another slowdown in product for the time being.
Most are betting on Disney’s Mufasa to ultimately prevail and win the long holiday weekend with $14.7 million or more as it celebrates becoming only the second film in 15 years to earn more than $200 million domestically despite opening to less than $40 million. (Now in its fifth weekend, the movie is expected to finish Monday with $210 million or more in domestic ticket sales.) The studio will also be toasting the animated Thanksgiving blockbuster Moana 2 as it joins the billion-club this weekend to become only the third film released in 2024 to earn north of $1 billion, behind fellow Disney releases Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine.
Sony and Tri-Star insiders are likewise predicting that One of Them Days will post a four-day holiday opening in the $14 million to $15 million range, ahead of expectations after earning stellar reviews and exit polls, along with an A- CinemaScore. It is also succeeding in reaching its target audience, with Black moviegoers making up 46 percent of Friday ticket buyers.
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 looks to come in third with $12 milllion, 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 is expected to place fourth in its fifth weekend with $10 million — the film is hosting select free screenings in fire-ravaged areas of L.A. on Monday — followed by Den of Thieves 2: Pantera in fifth place with $9 million to $10 million in its second weekend and Moana 2 in sixth place.
Full numbers will be updated Sunday morning.
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