‘Wolf Man’ Clashes with SZA and Keke Palmer’s ‘One of Them Days’ for Runner-Up Spot

Ah, the box office! Where dreams are made, and wallets are either stuffed or left gasping for air. This weekend, it’s a face-off between comedy and horror, and oh boy, it’s closer than the last-minute discount line at a Bollywood sale!

So here we are, dear readers, with Sony’s "One of Them Days" battling it out with Universal’s "Wolf Man." It’s like watching two kittens paw at each other, except these kittens are worth millions! 🐱💰 With a cool $4.3 million from 2,675 spots, our buddy comedy is just a whisker behind the hairy horror flick, which roared in with $4.4 million from 3,354 locations. But hold your popcorn, because Disney’s "Mufasa: The Lion King" is still the king of this jungle, prowling ahead with a month’s worth of release behind it. 🦁

"One of Them Days" stars the talented SZA and Keke Palmer as roommates trying to dodge eviction. Oh, the drama! With a budget tighter than my jeans after Diwali, Sony and Macro Film Studios kept it lean at $14 million. Yet, with rave reviews and an A- from Cinema Score, this film could be the little engine that could! 🚂✨ Can this comedy make R-rated films great again? Only time (and audience votes) will tell!

Meanwhile, “Wolf Man” seems to have misplaced its howl, eyeing a $12 million 4-day total. Ouch, that’s a far cry from Blumhouse’s previous hit “The Invisible Man,” which opened to $28 million pre-pandemic. But fear not, horror fans! With a $25 million budget and a C- from Cinema Score, who knows if this wolf will find its pack? 🐺

Then, we have Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” still roaring strong with a slim 13% drop from last week. Expect it to rake in $17 million over the holiday weekend, pouncing past the $200 million mark in the US. Not bad for a photorealistic kitty prequel, eh? This feline is purring its way into the top 10 of 2024. 🎉

Oh, and let’s not forget Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” dashing ahead with another $1.7 million, expecting to total $218 million in North America. This speedy hedgehog is now the eighth highest-grossing film of 2024. Zoom, zoom! 🦔💨

Last but not least, “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” is slipping to fifth. After a flashy start, it’s sliding down with a projected $7 million this weekend. A 53% drop feels like trying to diet after gorging on jalebis! Its domestic total is expected to surpass $27 million by the end of the holiday. Still behind its predecessor, but hey, it’s not over till the credits roll. 🎬

Moral of the Story: Hollywood is like a box of chocolates; you never know if it’s going to be a blockbuster or a belly flop. 🍫🎥 Keep the popcorn ready, because the show must go on!