WASHINGTON (AP) — The new buddy comedy “One of Them Days,” starring Keke Palmer, debuted at the top of the North American box office over the slow Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. The R-rated film from Sony brought in $11.6 million from 2,675 theaters, narrowly surpassing Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King.” Despite this, “Mufasa” is expected to come out ahead by the end of the holiday weekend.
With a production cost of just $14 million, “One of Them Days” is anticipated to recoup its expenses by Monday. The well-received comedy features Palmer and SZA as friends trying to raise rent money before their landlord kicks them out. Notably, it is the first Black female-led theatrical comedy since 2017’s “Girls Trip” and currently boasts an impressive 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, the overall box office performance was lackluster, with total earnings for Friday through Sunday estimated to be less than $80 million, making it one of the weakest Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekends since 1997. Despite this, industry analysts like Paul Dergarabedian from Comscore see individual successes like “One of Them Days” within this tepid box office environment.
In second place, Disney’s “Mufasa” collected $11.5 million over the weekend, marking its fifth week in theaters. The prequel directed by Barry Jenkins has grossed $588 million globally. The new horror film “Wolf Man” from Blumhouse entered at number three with $10.6 million from 3,354 theaters.
Additional films in the top five include “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” at fourth place with $8.6 million and “Den of Thieves 2” in fifth with $6.6 million.
In specialty releases, Brady Corbert’s post-war epic “The Brutalist” expanded to 388 screens, earning nearly $2 million over the weekend. A24 also re-released “Sing Sing,” which reached over 1 million incarcerated viewers in 46 states.
Looking ahead, Dergarabedian anticipates a stronger year for the box office with upcoming releases like “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Paddington in Peru” in February.
These are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.
In the latest box office updates, the top three movies this weekend are as follows: “The Unknown” secured the top spot with an impressive $3.8 million in earnings, closely followed by “Wicked” with $3.6 million and “Babygirl” showing strong performance with $2 million in revenue. These numbers reflect the current pulse of the film industry, showcasing the diverse range of offerings that continue to captivate audiences across the big screen.
