The buddy comedy One of Them Days had its moment in the spotlight this Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, narrowly surpassing Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King at the domestic box office.
Starring Keke Palmer and SZA, the Sony Pictures film earned $11.6 million during its debut weekend, with projections climbing to $14 million by Monday. The Issa Rae-produced movie, written by Syreeta Singleton (Rap Sh!t), marks a notable win for an original comedy led by Black women. Meanwhile, Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa, the prequel to The Lion King, followed closely with $11.5 million, heading toward $12 million for the four-day holiday.
Despite the success of One of Them Days, the overall box office paints a bleak picture. Traditionally, the MLK holiday weekend generates substantial revenue, often signaling the year’s cinematic kickoff.
However, 2025’s total fell dramatically, with estimates hovering around $77 million—nearly half of what is typically expected. Even Wolf Man, Blumhouse and Universal’s latest reimagining of a classic horror icon, underperformed. Directed by Leigh Whannell and starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, the film debuted with $10.5 million, far below the $28 million Invisible Man opened with in 2020.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3, now in its fifth week, held steady in fourth place with $8.6 million, bringing its domestic total to an impressive $216.5 million. Though Mufasa edged ahead in weekend earnings, its cumulative domestic haul stands at $206 million.
In fifth place, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera added $6.6 million, pushing its total to $26 million. Familiar titles dominated the rest of the top ten, including Moana 2 ($6 million) and Nosferatu ($4.3 million), followed by A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic, earning $3.8 million. Other noteworthy entries included Wicked ($3.5 million) and A24’s erotic drama Babygirl, which grossed $2 million on a limited screen count.
Internationally, Mufasa reigned supreme, adding $20.3 million for a global weekend total of $31.8 million. Its cumulative global gross now stands at $588 million. Sonic 3 followed with $23.8 million globally, pushing its worldwide total to $420 million. Though One of Them Days performed well domestically, its international earnings were modest, limited to a single territory.
Looking ahead, One of Them Days and other smaller releases may face tough competition next weekend. Upcoming titles include Steven Soderbergh’s experimental thriller Presence, the espionage drama Inheritance, and the Mel Gibson/Mark Wahlberg collaboration Flight Risk. While Mufasa and Sonic 3 are likely to maintain their dominance, the arrival of new contenders promises to shake up the box office rankings.
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