'Mufasa' claws its way back atop the North American box office

Disney's "Mufasa: The Lion King" topped the North American box office on a long holiday weekend after ceding the top spot a week earlier, analysts said Sunday.

Industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said the live-action film earned an estimated $15.5 million from Friday to Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Two new releases—Sony's "One of Them Days" and Universal's "Wolf Man"—took over the second and third spots, respectively.

Analyst David A. Gross predicted a "very profitable run" for "One of Them Days." The film stars Keke Palmer and singer/songwriter SZA as roommates scrambling to pay rent or face eviction after a boyfriend spends their money.

The film earned an estimated $14 million over the holiday weekend.

"This is an excellent opening for an original Black American comedy," he said, boosted by "sensational critics reviews and an excellent audience score."

The horror film Wolf Man, starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, earned $12 million over four days, which was below analysts' expectations.

As the start of a new horror series and as a remake of the 1941 classic starring Bela Lugosi, gross called the box office take "weak."

In fourth spot, down one spot from last weekend, was Paramount's animated "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" at $10.3 million.

And in fifth, hanging strong in its eighth weekend out, was "Moana 2" at $8.4 million.

Those numbers propelled the Disney blockbuster past the $1 billion mark globally. It is the studio's third 2024 release to hit the billion-dollar club after "Deadpool and Wolverine" and "Inside Out 2."

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"Den of Thieves 2: Pantera" ($7.8 million)

"Nosferatu" ($5.1 million)

"A Complete Unknown" ($4.6 million)

"Wicked" ($4.56 million)

"Babygirl" ($2.5 million)