Box Office: ‘Wolf Man’ Closely Dogged by ‘One of Them Days’ After $4.4 Million Opening Day, ‘Mufasa’ Primed to Pounce Back on No. 1

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This weekend at the box office is quite competitive, with two fresh movies, Sony’s buddy comedy “One of Them Days” and Universal’s horror flick “Wolf Man,” closely competing against each other. “One of Them Days,” showing in 2,675 locations, has made $4.3 million as of Friday and preview screenings, slightly trailing behind “Wolf Man” which earned $4.4 million from 3,354 locations on the same day. However, both films are lagging behind Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” which, in its fourth week, is expected to be the most popular choice for cinema-goers during the relatively quiet Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

The movie titled “One of Them Days,” featuring SZA and Keke Palmer as flatmates struggling to avoid eviction, is projected to earn over $14 million during its first four days. With R-rated comedies often perceived as fading theatrical options, Sony and Macro Film Studios managed production costs effectively with a budget of just $14 million. The film has received excellent reviews and positive audience feedback, indicated by an A- grade from moviegoer pollster Cinema Score. This could mean that “One of Them Days” might have longevity and potential for box office success.

As a devoted cinephile, I’ve been keeping an eager eye on the box office performance of the R-rated “Wolf Man.” It’s currently projected to earn around $12 million by Monday, which is a far cry from the impressive $28 million opening that Blumhouse and director Leigh Whannell achieved with their chilling reimagining of “The Invisible Man” back in early 2020, just before the COVID-19 lockdowns. That’s quite a gap!

Initially forecasting a $17 million debut, “Wolf Man” seems likely to underperform. However, given its production budget of $25 million and the nature of Blumhouse productions, this initial underperformance should not cause significant concern. Post this relatively quiet start, the movie now faces the challenge of navigating mediocre reviews and poor audience response (rated a C- by Cinema Score) to achieve reasonable success.

Disney’s movie “Mufasa: The Lion King” is poised to regain its leading position after earning $2.5 million on Friday, a minimal decrease of around 13% from its previous weekly total. Competitors predict it will earn approximately $17 million in the four-day period, outperforming both “Wolf Man” and “One of Them Days.” Now entering its fifth weekend in theaters, the photorealistic prequel is expected to surpass the $200 million domestic mark within the next day or two. Following a slow start but strong holiday performances, it now ranks among the top 10 highest-grossing North American films of 2024.

In simple terms, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” from Paramount continues to perform well, earning an additional $1.7 million on Friday. By the end of its 31st day in cinemas, it is projected to have amassed a total domestic box office revenue of around $218 million. Currently, this latest installment of Sega’s famous video game character stands as the 8th highest-grossing North American release of 2024.

Initially, it seems that “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” might end up in fifth position after debuting at the top of domestic box office charts last weekend. The Lionsgate production is projected to earn around $7.4 million over the three-day period, which represents a 50% decrease from its opening. By the Martin Luther King holiday, the domestic total could reach beyond $28 million. This pace places it slightly behind the first “Den of Thieves,” which made $29 million in its initial eleven days at the box office back in 2018.

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2025-01-18 19:16