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MLK Weekend Box Office: Mixed Results for Studios Amid Theatrical Struggles
The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend has brought a blend of good news and challenges for the box office. While films like Sony’s new buddy comedy “One of Them Days” have performed well, the overall holiday period is proving to be disappointing for theaters.
The projected total grosses for the 4-day weekend are between $96 million and $100 million, reflecting an 18% decline compared to last year. Leading the pack, “Mufasa” is expected to secure the No. 1 spot with an estimated $15.5 million in its fifth weekend. This marks the lowest opening for a film in this slot since 1995, when the Western “Legends of the Fall” garnered an unadjusted $14 million.
For Disney, the $15.5 million for “Mufasa” is not a cause for concern. The film’s domestic earnings have surpassed $200 million, while its global total stands at $588 million. Though this is significantly less than the 2019 “Lion King” remake’s impressive $1.65 billion, “Mufasa” has successfully rebounded from a sluggish pre-Christmas opening to near the $600 million milestone, affirming its status as a theatrical success for the studio.
Meanwhile, Sony’s “One of Them Days” has emerged as a silver lining for studios. With a production budget of $14 million, this buddy comedy has opened to promising numbers, amassing an estimated $11.6 million over three days and a total of $14 million for the extended weekend. The film’s favorable reception, reflected in an A- rating on CinemaScore and 97% from critics and 92% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, suggests it could enjoy longevity in theaters, assuming word-of-mouth continues to attract casual moviegoers.
On a more disappointing note, Universal and Blumhouse’s “Wolf Man” fell short of expectations, with projections indicating a $20 million-plus opening that have now dwindled to around $12 million. This outcome contrasts starkly with Leigh Whannell’s previous hit, “The Invisible Man,” which opened to $28.2 million in February 2020.
Despite its $25 million budget, “Wolf Man” is likely to reach break-even points; however, it misses the mark of an early-year horror success that theaters had hoped would propel business until the release of “Captain America: Brave New World” next month. The film has received mixed reviews, holding a mere 53% on Rotten Tomatoes and a C- CinemaScore.
Moving on to other releases, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” follows closely with a $10.3 million total for the holiday, achieving a cumulative domestic gross of $218 million and $420 million worldwide, thus becoming the highest-grossing installment in the Sega franchise.
In the race for fifth place, Lionsgate’s “Den of Thieves: Pantera” and Disney’s “Moana 2” are almost neck-and-neck. “Pantera” pulled in $8.25 million in its extended second weekend, bringing its total to $27.8 million. Meanwhile, “Moana 2” is estimated to earn $8.3 million over four days, positioning it as Disney’s third release in 2024 to cross the $1 billion mark globally. Notably, this adds to Disney’s remarkable track record, which now boasts 32 films in its catalog grossing over a billion dollars, including “Moana 2” as the fourth from its animated division.
In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics’ “I’m Still Here” opened in five theaters in major markets like Los Angeles and New York, projected to earn $125,000 over the holiday period, with a strong average of $25,000 per theater. This Brazilian film, which recounts the fight of lawyer Eunice Paiva to expose her husband’s death during Brazil’s military dictatorship, gained additional attention following a surprise Golden Globe win for actress Fernanda Torres.
Lastly, A24’s “The Brutalist” has continued its successful specialty run, with an estimated $2.4 million gross over the four-day period after expanding to 272 additional locations, making for a total of 388 theaters. This increase represents a significant 43% rise from the previous weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $5.8 million ahead of the upcoming Oscar nominations announcement and a nationwide rollout next weekend.
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