Universal and Blumhouse’s “Wolf Man” reboot and the Keke Palmer-led comedy “One of Them Days” will contend for the top slot on box office charts over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
Regardless of which lands in first, neither are expected to break out in what’s shaping up to be another quiet weekend for North American cinemas. “Wolf Man” is poised to open to $17 million to $21 million from 3,300 venues over the four-day frame, while “One of Them Days” looks to collect $8 million to $13 million from 2,650 theaters between Friday and Monday.
Universal and Sony each canceled the premieres of “Wolf Man” and “One of Them Days” due to the fires and extreme winds in Los Angeles. In terms of moviegoing, though, attendance doesn’t appear to be affected by the devastating wildfires that continued to ravage though parts of Los Angeles, one of the biggest theatrical markets in the country. Los Angeles represented 8% of the domestic marketshare over the weekend compared to the 7.8% frame prior to the outbreak, while AMC’s in Century City, Burbank and the Grove, as well as Regal Irvine, were among the top-grossing locations in the United States. Business was down roughly 50%, however, in venues closer to the fire outbreaks, such as AMC Americana Glendale, AMC Universal Citywalk and AMC Santa Anita Arcadia.
Christopher Abbot stars in “Wolf Man,” director Leigh Whannell’s new take on the 1941 film about a man who gets bitten by a mysterious predator and begins to transform into a dangerous creature that soon jeopardizes the lives of his family. Ryan Gosling was originally attached to lead the film with director Derek Cianfrance, but they both departed the project in 2023 reportedly due to scheduling conflicts. Reviews for “Wolf Man” are currently under embargo, and although horror tends to be critic proof at the box office, 2024 was mostly disappointing for scary movies. So “Wolf Man” can’t rely on enduring love for horror to become a sleeper hit. Audiences need to actually like “Wolf Man,” too.
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“Wolf Man” is part of Universal’s continued attempt to mine its vast catalog of classic monsters. After the studio’s efforts to create an interconnected Dark Universe flamed out with Tom Cruise’s 2017 box office disaster “The Mummy,” Universal has opted to focus on lower-budget, director-driven standalone features — albeit to mixed results. Whannell’s “The Invisible Man,” starring Elisabeth Moss, was a success with $143 million worldwide in 2020. Yet “Renfield,” with Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his unhinged henchman, majorly misfired with $26 million globally in 2023. A “Creature From the Black Lagoon” remake from “Aquaman” director James Wan will be the studio’s next stab at a monster revival. “Wolf Man” cost $25 million, a fraction of the $150 million-plus the studio had shelled out years ago for “The Mummy.”
“One of Them Days” should function as counterprogramming to “Wolf Man.” The R-rated buddy comedy, starring Palmer and Grammy-winning musician SZA in her feature film debut, follows two roommates who race against the clock to avoid eviction after one of their boyfriend’s steals their rent money. Issa Rae was a producer on the film, which was directed by Lawrence Lamont and written by “Insecure” and “Rap Sh!t” alum Syreeta Singleton.
Theatrical comedies have become a dying breed; Sony’s “No Hard Feelings,” led by Jennifer Lawrence, managed to draw crowds but others like Neon’s “Babes” with Ilana Glazer of “Broad City” fame, or Amazon MGM’s “My Old Ass” and “Bottoms,” starring “The Bear” breakout Ayo Edebiri, struggled to sell tickets despite positive reviews. So Sony kept costs low, spending an economical $14 million to produce “One of Them Days” with co-financier Macro Film Studios.