Martin Luther King Jr. weekend is upon us, though people looking to celebrate could have other plans than heading to cinemas. How do we know this? The starting totals for two brand-new movies are off to a grim start. Then again, we’ve been surprised by dark horses before. Analysts said Leigh Whannell’s body horror film Wolf Man howled during Thursday previews with $1.4M, while Lawrence Lamont’s comedy, One of Them Days, led by Keke Palmer and SZA, banked $1.3M.

Wolf Man comes in low out of the gate. Still, the Blumhouse feature only cost $25M to produce before promotional materials. The horror movie starring Christopher Abbott (It Comes at Night, Possessor, Poor Things) and Julia Garner (Fantastic Four: First Steps, Ozark) could transform its 4-day holiday weekend total into $20M, but only if people show up. Wolf Man‘s Thursday total is slightly surprising, given the success of Whannell’s 2020 psychological thriller The Invisible Man, which earned a global total of $144M during its theatrical run. Positive word of mouth helped The Invisible Man make an impression on horror fans, and the film’s popularity has only grown with time. Unfortunately, reviews for Wolf Man are mixed, with some critics saying the movie lacks bite.

Sony’s One of Them Days could surprise us, as the film holds a 96% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an Audience Score of 94%. Tyler Nichols reviewed One of Them Days for JoBlo, saying, “the laughs per minute were high,” while the film also presents engaging emotional stakes. The story focuses on best friends and roommates Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA), who discover Alyssa’s boyfriend has blown their rent money. The duo then finds themselves going to extremes in a race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact. Maude Apatow, Lil Rel Howery, Katt Williams, and Vanessa Bell Calloway star as primary cast members.

Are you going to the movies this Martin Luther King weekend? Do you think Wolf Man will find an audience in the coming weeks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, and enjoy your holiday!

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