The buddy comedy film 'One of Them Days' emerged as the top-grossing movie over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, raking in $11.6 million from 2,675 theaters in North America. The Sony release, starring Keke Palmer and SZA, surpassed Disney's 'Mufasa: The Lion King' by a narrow margin. Despite this, 'Mufasa' is expected to take the lead by the end of the holiday weekend.
With a production cost of $14 million, 'One of Them Days' is anticipated to recoup its expenses by Monday. The well-received comedy, featuring a Black female-led cast, has garnered a remarkable 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The storyline follows two friends striving to gather rent money before facing eviction.
However, the overall box office performance was lackluster, with total weekend earnings projected to be under $80 million, marking one of the weakest Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekends since 1997. Despite the subdued market, individual successes like 'One of Them Days' stand out, according to industry analysts.
Disney's 'Mufasa' secured the second spot with $11.5 million, while the horror film 'Wolf Man' debuted in third place with $10.6 million. 'Wolf Man,' directed by Leigh Whannell, received mixed reviews and a C- CinemaScore from audiences.
'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' and 'Den of Thieves 2' claimed the fourth and fifth positions, respectively, with earnings of $8.6 million and $6.6 million. In specialty releases, 'The Brutalist' and 'Sing Sing' made notable impacts, with the former expanding to 388 screens and the latter being screened in theaters and prisons for incarcerated audiences.
The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend has historically seen major box office hits, such as 'Bad Boys for Life' and 'American Sniper.' Looking ahead, industry experts anticipate a boost in movie revenues with upcoming releases like 'Captain America: Brave New World' and 'Paddington in Peru' in February.
Overall, the weekend's top ten movies in the U.S. and Canada were led by 'One of Them Days,' 'Mufasa: The Lion King,' 'Wolf Man,' 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3,' 'Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,' 'Moana 2,' 'Nosferatu,' 'A Complete Unknown,' 'Wicked,' and 'Babygirl.'
