In a close race among three films, Sony’s ONE OF THEM DAYS led the way with $11.6M in its opening week, taking the three-day box office for all movies to $77.3M. This compares to $65.3M last year on this same weekend when Paramount’s comedy remake MEAN GIRLS finished #1 with $11.7M in its second weekend and Bleecker Street’s Sci-Fi drama I.S.S. added $3.1M, the only new wide opener of that weekend.
Last year, the MLK holiday weekend landed on the second weekend of the year whereas this year it falls on the third frame. Not surprisingly, ticket sales in weekend #2 of 2024 exceeded those from the same weekend in 2025, but this year’s third weekend and MLK holiday surpassed the relatively soft third weekend of 2024.
While the MLK holiday is often targeted with the first “important” new film releases of the year, the openers this weekend were only so-so. This was the second lowest MLK 3-day weekend total in the last 10 years, after setting aside the pandemic-influenced results from 2021. Only 2022 with its $71.5M 3-day MLK totals came in lower than this year.
Next week, Lionsgate’s FLIGHT RISK, Neon’s PRESENCE, Angel Studio’s BRAVE THE DARK, and IFC Films’ INHERITANCE will all arrive, with the industry is still waiting for the first $20M+ movie opening of the year.
Sony’s ONE OF THEM DAYS surprised with its first-place finish narrowly ahead of MUFASA: THE LION KING. This buddy comedy is the first feature release from director Lawrence Lamont. It stars Keke Palmer who emerged as a leading actress with her role in Jordan Peele’s NOPE from 2022. It also introduces the Grammy-winning R&B musician SZA in her acting debut.
Palmer plays Dreux and SZA plays Alyssa, best friends and roommates who scramble to pay rent after Alyssa’s boyfriend blows the money they had set aside for that expense. It is set in the Baldwin Village neighborhood of South Los Angeles, known as “The Jungles.” Lamont’s movie pays homage to the 1995 comedy FRIDAY, which it echos in its choices for location and wardrobe.
Both critics and audiences love this movie and have given it 97% and 92% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes. The AP praises Palmer’s performance, stating, “It’s a testament to Palmer’s dynamism as a performer that ‘One of Them Days’ would work no matter where their day takes them.”
Vulture highlights the film’s unique approach to the buddy comedy genre, noting that it “succeeds largely due to its talented cast,” and commends SZA’s natural performance in her first film. Teen Vogue emphasizes the chemistry between Palmer and SZA, with producer Issa Rae expressing hope that their on-screen chemistry sparks a lifelong friendship with more collaborations.
With a production cost of only $14M, the film will only need to earn $35M in worldwide gross to reach profitability, which it may well achieve after this weekend’s strong start. Most of this will have to come from the domestic market, as urban American storylines don’t usually translate internationally.
MUFASA: THE LION KING finished in an extremely close second place with $11.5M, a drop of only 19%. Its ability to maintain its position at or near the top of the box office is a testament to the film’s family appeal, but also an indication of relatively weak competition.
After 31 days, MUFASA has earned $205.8M domestic and $588.0M worldwide and is gaining ground on SONIC 3, which is its obvious rival since both of these animated films opened on the same day on December 20th. After finishing #1 or #2 for five straight weekends, it seems likely to continue to go well for several more weeks. Here is a box office breakdown comparing MUFASA and SONIC 3.
MUFASA: THE LION KING vs. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 after 31 Days
- MUFASA: THE LION KING (12/20/2024) – Domestic Opening $35.4M (4,100 Locations), Domestic 10-Day $113.5M, Domestic 17-Day $168.6M, Domestic 24-Day $188.7M, Domestic 31-Day $205.8M, RT Critics/Audience 56%/89%
- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (12/20/2024) – Domestic Opening $60.1M (3,761 Locations), Domestic 10-Day $137.6M, Domestic 17-Day $187.5M, Domestic 24-Day $204.5M, Domestic 31-Day $216.5M, RT Critics/Audience 86%/96%
Universal’s WOLF MAN finished third with an opening weekend of $10.6M. This is the second movie Universal has released in its new series of updated movies based on classic horror titles from the 1930s and 40s. The first in the series was THE INVISIBLE MAN, which opened on 2/28/2020 and grossed an impressive $28.2M in its first three days.
Unfortunately, that reboot of the 1933 classic only had two full weeks in theatres before COVID-19 began to shut down the industry. Even with its truncated release, THE INVISIBLE MAN was a commercial success, earning a domestic gross of $70.4M and $144.5M worldwide against a modest $7M production budget.
The same director-producer team of Leigh Whannell and Jason Blum are back this year with WOL FMAN, a new take on the 1941 original movie. After his father’s mysterious disappearance, Blake relocates his family from San Francisco to his childhood home in the remote woods of Oregon.
Blake is played by Christopher Abbott (KRAVEN THE HUNTER), and his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) are forced to deal with Blake’s transformation into a monstrous figure. In the early stages of the film’s development, Ryan Gosling was attached to the role of Blake but was forced to pass on the opportunity eventually because of scheduling conflicts.
Critics have panned the new movie, giving it a lowly 53% score on Rotten Tomatoes while audiences are only slightly more positive with a 59% rating. The critics at Rolling Stone appreciated the film’s ambition in attempting to mix body horror with familial trauma but criticized it for leaning on familiar horror tropes and uneven execution overall.
The Chicago Tribune described the first half as “crafty, patient, and deceptively good,” but felt the second half was plodding. With a relatively modest production budget of $25M, WOLFMAN would still be profitable if it earns only one-half the box office that THE INVISIBLE MAN generated. Here is how those two films compare.
WOLF MAN vs. THE INVISIBLE MAN
- WOLF MAN (1/17/2025) – Domestic Opening $10.6M (3,354 Locations), Budget $25M, RT Critics/Audience 53%/59%
- THE INVISIBLE MAN (2/28/2020) – Domestic Opening $28.2M (3,610 Locations), Domestic Total $70.4M, Worldwide Total $144.5M, Budget $7M, RT Critics/Audience 91%/88%
THE INVISIBLE MAN was received with more enthusiasm than WOLF MAN, which seems unlikely to have a bump in attendance based on any word of mouth from early moviegoers. Of course, WOLF MAN will have an uninterrupted path to playing in theatres compared to THE INVISIBLE MAN.
Paramount’s SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 finished in fourth place with $8.6M, a drop of 24%. This brings its 31-day total to $216.5M domestic and $420.0M worldwide.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG Franchise History
- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (2/14/2020) – Domestic Opening $58.0M (4,167 Locations), Domestic 10-Day $106.5M, Domestic 17-Day $128.6M, Domestic 24-Day $140.5M, Domestic 31-Day $145.8M, Domestic Total $149.0M, Worldwide Total $319.7M, Budget $85M, RT Critics/Audience 64%/93%
- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 (4/8/2022) – Domestic Opening $72.1M (4,234 Locations), Domestic 10-Day $119.9M, Domestic 17-Day $146.3M, Domestic 24-Day $161.1M, Domestic 31-Day $169.7M, Domestic Total $190.9M, Worldwide Total $405.4M, Budget $110M, RT Critics/Audience 69%/96%
- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (12/20/2024) – Domestic Opening $60.M (3,761 Locations), Domestic 10-Day $137.6M, Domestic 17-Day $187.5M, Domestic 24-Day $204.5M, Domestic 31-Day $216.5M, Budget $122M, RT Critics/Audience 86%/96%
Having already passed the domestic totals of the two earlier Sonic movies, SONIC 3 will most likely become the top-earning Sonic movie globally after it crosses SONIC 2’s $405.4M worldwide total in the next few weeks.
Lionsgate’s DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA finished in fifth place this weekend with $6.6M, a decline of 56%. After finishing first last weekend, this is a disappointing second frame, especially when considering the modest competition it has faced.
DEN OF THIEVES vs. DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA after 10 Days
- DEN OF THIEVES (1/19/2018) – Domestic Locations 2,432, Domestic Opening $15.2M, Domestic 10-Day $28.8M, Domestic Total $44.9M, Worldwide Total $80.5M, Budget $30M, RT Critics/Audience 41%/63%
- DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA (1/10/2025) – Domestic Locations 3,008, Domestic Opening $15.5M, Domestic 10-Day $26.2M, Budget $40M, RT Critics/Audience 61%/79%
PANTERA’s 56% drop in its second weekend is much steeper than the 43% drop for the original. If this continues, the sequel will have trouble in future weeks holding on to many of its current locations, which will limit its box office.
Where Are We as of 1/16/2025
After the second week of 2025, the domestic box office stands at 97% compared to the second week of 2024 and 67% compared to the second week of 2019.