UPDATE: 2025-06-30 08:06 EST BY BRENNAN KLEIN

Mufasa Stays Strong, Maintaining No. 1 Lead

This article was originally written Saturday AM and has been updated Sunday AM with up-to-date box office projections (in bold), a full chart, and further analysis.

The domestic box office has seen multiple major upsets, withMufasa: The Lion King,One of Them Days, andWolf Manall performing much differently than expected. The Universal Monster remakeWolf Man, which is Leigh Whannell’s follow-up to 2020’sThe Invisible Man, opened over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, on the same day as the new Keke Palmer comedyOne of Them Days. TheLion Kingprequel is the oldest of the trio, as theMufasareleasekicked off back in 2024, the weekend before Christmas.

PerDeadline, as of Sunday morning,Mufasa: The Lion Kingis projected to close out the holiday weekend with a 4-day domestic total of$15.5 million, which places it at No. 1 for the weekend,beating out every new wide release of 2025. That roster also includes the heist movie sequelDen of Thieves 2: Pantera. However, not counting the time when theaters were closed in 2021, this is the lowest that a No. 1 movie over MLK weekend has been since 1997’sBeverly Hills Ninjaopened to $12.2 million, which is $24.2 million when adjusted for inflation.

Meanwhile,One of Them Dayshas defied initial expectationsby taking No. 2 with an estimated 4-day gross of$14 million. It has taken the lead overWolf Man, which is now projected to hit No. 3 with a 4-day debut of $12 million. Below, see the full Top 5 chart for the domestic box office over MLK weekend, including projections for both the traditional 3-day weekend and the 4-day holiday weekend that runs Friday through Monday:

1

$11.5 million

$15.5 million

$209.7 million (weekend 5)

2

~$12.5 million

$14 million

$14 million (weekend 1)

3

$10.55 million

$12 million

$12 million (weekend 1)

4

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

$7.9 million

$10.3 million

$218.1 million (weekend 5)

5

$6.6 million

$7.7 million

$27.3 million (weekend 2)

Mufasahas continued to dominateSonic the Hedgehog 3with slow and steady growth after reversing its initial fortunes at the domestic box office. The video game movie took No. 1 over their first two weekends untilMufasasupplanted it at No. 1 during their mutual third weekend. TheLion Kingprequel has continued to maintain a spot above it on the chart since then. Nevertheless,Sonicis still holding strong,falling from No. 3 to No. 4 with a week-on-week drop of just 30%, likely aided by the impending holiday.

With two new titles in the Top 5, naturally,two holdover hits have had to exit the chart to make room. The first isDisney’sMoana 2, which has dropped from No. 5 to No. 6 with an $8.3 million 4-day haul and a week-on-week drop of just 7%. This is the first weekend since it premiered over Thanksgiving that it has been off the Top 5 chart. Meanwhile,Nosferatu, which opened on Christmas Day, has fallen from No. 4 to No. 7 during its fourth weekend in theaters with a $5.1 million 4-day total and a 38% drop.

What This Means For One Of Them Days And Wolf Man

Their Prospects Look Very Different

Early projections showedWolf Mancoming in quite a bit higher than its MLK weekend competition, but it seems entirely possible thatOne of Them Daysreviewshave allowed the comedy to triumph over the anticipated horror remake, as the movie’s overwhelmingly positive response earned ita near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 96%, which is the best of Keke Palmer’s career. Meanwhile, the Whannell movie came out of the gate with a much more mixed reception, earning it a Rotten 53% score.

Leigh Whannell’sThe Invisible Manremake had a much better reception, earning a Certified Fresh score of 91%.

As a result of their debuts,Wolf Manreleasecould struggle to catch up withOne of Them Daysboth in terms of raw numbers and profits. The Keke Palmer movie cost $14 million, meaning that it will make its budget back by the end of the weekend and bewell on its way toward its estimated break-even point of $35 million.Wolf Man’s slightly higher $25 million budget likely places its break-even point around $62.5 million, which puts it on a rockier road toward profitability, especially considering the fact that horror movies typically have sharp week 2 drops.

Our Take On The Weekend Box Office

2025 Is Struggling To Get Off The Ground

Although the future is looking bright forOne of Them Days, the fact that neither it norWolf Mancould beatMufasa: The Lion Kingin its fifth weekend shows that 2025 still has yet to produce a major runaway hit. In fact, this is the third-lowest overall MLK weekend in the past 10 years. As they were the most promising new releases of January, the 2025 box office may have to wait until at least February 14 for a rebound, when the Valentine’s Day weekend sees the debut of bothCaptain America: Brave New WorldandPaddington in Peru.

Mufasa: The Lion King

Cast

Mufasa: The Lion King explores the origins of the beloved character Mufasa, focusing on his youth as a lost cub who encounters Taka, a royal heir. Their meeting initiates an epic journey of self-discovery and destiny, featuring a group of misfit companions navigating the challenges of their world.

One of Them Days

One of Them Days, directed by Lawrence Lamont, follows best friends and roommates Dreux and Alyssa as they scramble to prevent eviction after discovering Alyssa’s boyfriend has squandered their rent money. This comedic adventure highlights their desperate and humorous attempts to save their home and friendship.

Wolf Man

Wolf Man, released on July 05, 2025, follows Blake and his wife Charlotte as they visit his secluded childhood home in rural Oregon. After a mysterious animal attack, they become trapped inside, and Charlotte is forced to confront Blake’s disturbing transformation amidst growing tension and fear.