Keke Palmer’s ‘One of Them Days’ Beats ‘Wolf Man’ at Box Office

Heading into the long weekend, Universal’s “Wolf Man” reboot was expected to climb to No. 1 on the domestic box office charts. Yet Sony’s “One of Them Days,” an R-rated buddy comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA, may have the last laugh.

“One of Them Days” debuted at second highest expectations with $11.6 million from 2,675 North American locations over the weekend and an estimated $14 million during the extended holiday period. Martin Luther King Jr. With a reduced budget of $14 million, the funny and well-reviewed film promises to be a major commercial victory for Sony. Meanwhile, “Wolf Man” debuted below forecasts, in third place with $10.5 million from 3,354 theaters over the weekend and about $12 million during Monday’s holiday . The film only cost $25 million to produce, which should be a relief for the studio since critics and audiences weren’t fans of the horror remake. “Wolf Man” received a “C-” rating on CinemaScore and 53% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Overall, this is one of the slowest MLK holiday weekends on record with around $100 million for all films in theaters. Neither newcomer, “Wolf Man” or “One of Them Days,” had enough bite to dethrone the reigning champ, Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King.” The family film ceded the crown last weekend to Lionsgate’s “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” but returned to No. 1 with $11.9 million from 3,555 theaters this weekend and an estimated 15 .5 million through Monday in its fifth frame. These ticket sales mark one of the lowest sales ever during the MLK holiday season. After a softer start before Christmas, “Mufasa” saw a reversal of fortune theatrically with $209.8 million domestically and $588.4 million worldwide to date.

“One of Them Days” should benefit from word of mouth after earning a promising “A-” on CinemaScore and 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by Lawrence Lamont and produced by Issa Rae, the film follows two roommates who race against time to avoid being evicted after one of their boyfriends steals their rent money. Although theatrical comedies are a dying breed, Sony is one of the few major studios keeping the genre alive – and doing so by keeping costs in line with market realities.

“It’s a great opening,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “The three-day figure is double the gender average. Costing $14 million, the film will be highly profitable upon completion in all ancillary markets.

“Wolf Man” also stumbled internationally with $4.83 million from 53 foreign markets, bringing its worldwide total to $15.3 million. Christopher Abbot stars in director Leigh Whannell’s new version of the 1941 film about a man who is bitten by a mysterious predator and begins to transform into a dangerous creature who soon endangers the lives of his family. Whannell, whose writing credits include “Saw” and “Insidious,” shepherded Universal’s 2020 horror remake “The Invisible Man” to sleeper hit status and helped revive the restless monster-verse of the studio. After trying and failing to create an interconnected universe based on its vast catalog of classic monsters, Universal chose to focus on low-budget standalone features – but with mixed results. “The Invisible Man” was a win, but 2023’s “Renfield,” starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his unhinged sidekick, largely missed the mark with $26 million worldwide . Director James Wan will make the next attempt with a remake of “Creature From the Black Lagoon.”

“Leigh Whannell is a major talent in horror, but audiences aren’t enthusiastic about it,” says Gross. “It’s a failure, but it’s not a disaster.”

Elsewhere at the box office, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” placed fourth with $8.6 million over the traditional weekend and about $11 million through Monday. The kid-friendly trio grossed $218 million in North America and $420 million worldwide after five weekends of release. These ticket sales are officially higher than those of its predecessors, 2020’s “Sonic” ($319 million) and the 2022 sequel “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” ($405 million).

“Den of Thieves 2” rounds out the top five with $6.6 million over the weekend and an estimated $7.75 million during the extended holiday period. The action thriller grossed $27.3 million domestically and $10 million internationally after two weekends on the big screen. “Pantera,” starring Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr., has a production budget of $40 million. Although Lionsgate generally mitigates risk by selling foreign rights to its theatrical titles, the second installment of “Den of Thieves” needs to endure on the big screen to match the original’s $80 million gross.

Paramount’s musical biopic “Better Man,” also in its second weekend of release, suffered a brutal 76% collapse from its tragic million-dollar debut. The original film, in which a CGI monkey plays British singer Robbie Williams, took in $255,000 from 1,290 theaters over the weekend and $310,000 through Monday, bringing its domestic total to 1,000. Embarrassing $8 million. The production cost $110 million (although Paramount acquired the domestic rights for $25 million), making it one of the greatest theatrical duds in history.

Meanwhile, “Moana 2” hit a box office milestone with $1 billion in global ticket sales. The animated sequel was originally developed as a series for Disney+ before being retooled into a feature film. After eight weekends of release, “Moana 2” has grossed $445 million domestically and $567 million internationally, for a total of $1.009 billion worldwide. This is Disney’s third release of 2024 to join the billion-dollar club after “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.”