The 2025box officegets injected with some new life asWolf ManandOne of Them Dayshit theaters, and both are prepared to battleDen of Thieves 2: Panterafor the top spot. Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s action heist movie surprised last weekend with its ability to beat incumbent top grossers inMufasa: The Lion KingandSonic the Hedgehog 3. The result wasDen of Thieves 2winning the weekend box office. That put the film in a good spot to find continued success in the weeks to come, butWolf ManandOne of Them Dayshope to overtake it.
Wolf Manis director Leigh Whannell’s latest modern reimagining of a classic Universal Monster four years after doingThe Invisible Man. Meanwhile, Keke Palmer headlines a studio comedy in an attempt to get viewers towatchOne of Them Daysin theaters. The two new challengers for the top spot at the domestic box office will have to overcome each other and the remaining January 2025 movies in theaters to do so. The horror remake and comedy now square off with an action franchise sequel and other well-performing titles this weekend.
Wolf Man Is Projected To Win The Box Office In Its Opening Weekend
The Monster Movie Aims For $17M+ This Weekend
Universal and Blumhouse are expected to have the new top earner at the box office this weekend thanks toWolf Man. The reboot of the werewolf franchise gets a wide release with its R-rating. And while critics are mixed on Leigh Whannell’s film, the hope is that horror audiences and the Blumhouse faithful will turn out well enough to make the film a success. PerVariety, the film isprojected to make between $17M-$21M this weekend, which would be good enough to be the new #1 film in America.
Wolf Man’s opening weekend would be a tad bit below what Universal and Blumhouse were hoping for after 2020’sThe Invisible Man.Whannell’s previous Universal Monster movie had a $28 million opening weekendafter only being made for $7 million.Wolf Manboasts a bigger budget, reportedly over three times the size at $25 million. That leaves the film in a good position to still turn a profit based on these opening weekend projections. If audiences decide towatchWolf Manin theatersmore than expected, it could even make its budget back in a single weekend.
This opening would also be lower than Universal’s last attempt to make a Wolf Man franchise.2010’sThe Wolfmanmade $31 million in its opening weekendand finished second over the Valentine’s Day holiday release.Wolf Manmight not match that opening, barring a complete surprise performance, but it should follow inThe Invisible Man’s footsteps to be the #1 movie of the weekend. Even though horror movies tend to do well, Blumhouse’s latest doing so without any A-list stars inWolf Man’s castis significant and bodes well for the future.
One Of Them Days Opening Weekend Box Office Projections
Keke Palmer’s Comedy Projects For Over $8 Million
A few years after her excellent performance in Jordan Peele’sNope, Keke Palmer is back in a lead role with Sony’s comedyOne of Them Days. Paired up with Grammy-winning singer SZA for an Issa Rae-produced comedy, Palmer’s new film is hoping to have a solid opening weekend at the box office.Varietyreports the film istargeting an $8M-$13M opening weekend, which would be a good range for a movie that only costs $14 million.
This opening weekend would be well below what Palmer experienced withNope’s $44M opening, butOne of Them Daysis a very different release.Comedies are not the big box office performers they used to bebefore the mid-2010s. Since then, it’s been much harder for true comedies to break through. Sony knows this all too well, with Jennifer Lawrence’sNo Hard Feelingsonly having a $15 million opening weekend for the studio in 2023.One of Them Daysperforming slightly below that figure would be impressive since Keke Palmer is not quite the star Jennifer Lawrence is.
One of Them Days' opening weekend box office range would be good enough to best several other recent comedies too.Joy Ride($5.8M),Strays($8.2M),Thelma($2.3M), andY2K($2.1M) all did worse over the last two years. IfOne of Them Dayscan finish somewhere betweenStraysandNo Hard Feelings, that will be a win for Sony and Keke Palmer.
Den Of Thieves 2 Aims For A Low Second Weekend Box Office Drop
The Sequel Hopes To Match The Original Once More
After opening in the top spot at the box office,Den of Thieves 2is unlikely to hold onto that spot in the January 17-19, 2025 frame. Audiences have mostly liked the action sequel, asits earned a B+ on CinemaScore and sits at 79% on Rotten Tomatoes' Popcornmeter. That was reflected by the film’s $15 million opening weekend, which was above the most recent projections. So far, the film is still trailing the original 2018 film, though, as it heads into its second weekend.
Den of Thieveshad a relatively low drop in its second weekend seven years ago, dipping only 43.2% and making $8.6 million after its $15.2 million opening. WithDen of Thieves 2opening just behind the original film at $15 million, a similar drop this weekend would make it earn $8.5 million. It’s worth noting thatthe sequel had a worse performance on its first Monday than the original ($1M vs $1.3M), so there is a chance that there is a harsher drop. It’s still the biggest new action movie in theaters, though, so Butler’s star power could help overcome that potentially.
Predicted Top 10 Box Office For January 17-19, 2025
Wolf Man Should Be The #1 Movie This Weekend
This weekend’s box office should result inWolf Manwinning the three-day period, as well as the extended Martin Luther King Jr. Day 4-day weekend. The mixed reviews should not hurt the monster horror film too badly, leaving me comfortable topredict a $18.2 million opening weekend forWolf Man. That would be on the lower end of the current projections but still enough for the movie to be the #1 movie in America by January 20th.One of Them Days, meanwhile, should contend for second place with a predicted nearly $10 million opening.
1
$18.2 million
2
$9.8 million
3
Den of Thieves 2
$8.3 million
-45.7%
4
$7.5 million
-47.2%
5
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
$5.6 million
-50.5%
6
$3.7 million
-46.4%
7
$3.5 million
-46.2%
8
$3 million
-41.2%
9
$2.5 million
-51%
10
$1.8 million
-41.1%
As for the rest of the box office,Den of Thieves 2is predicted to do well and finish in third place with a slightly larger drop than its predecessor in their respective second weekends.Mufasa: The Lion KingandSonic the Hedgehog 3round out the predicted top 5, even if they are both starting to slow down. The rest of the predicted top 10 movies at the box office for January 17-19 areNosferatu,Moana 2,A Complete Unknown,Wicked, andBabygirl- which were all in the top 10 last weekend.
If any other movies are bound to break into the top 10,The BrutalistandThe Last Showgirlare two possibilities. Both films had solid outings last weekend on a limited number of screens. Julia Stiles' newly directed rom-comWish You Were Herecould also sneak in, although it’s not getting a wide release from Lionsgate, so it will need to do well in limited theaters to do so. Barring any other unexpected developments, this should be the top 10 at thebox officethis weekend, even if some of the standings shift around.
