Keke Palmer And SZA's Comedy ‘One Of Them Days’ Moves To MLK Weekend Release

Looks like Sony Pictures is shifting gears to release the R-rated comedy One of Them Days a week earlier, strategically targeting the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend starting January 17, 2025. This timing aims to capitalize on the 95% of colleges on break, making it an opportune moment for young audiences to hit theaters.

Directed by Lawrence Lamont, the film stars Keke Palmer and SZA as best friends and roommates, Dreux and Alyssa, navigating a hilariously chaotic day. When Alyssa’s boyfriend (Joshua David Neal) blows their rent money, the duo embarks on a wild, high-stakes race to avoid eviction and salvage their friendship.

With a fresh and comedic storyline penned by Syreeta Singleton, the movie boasts a powerhouse production team, including Issa Rae, Deniese Davis, Sara Rastogi, James Lopez, and Poppy Hanks, with Palmer also serving as an executive producer. The cast is rounded out by Maude Apatow, Lil Rel Howery, Janelle James, and Katt Williams.

Sony’s strategic date places One of Them Days against Universal/Blumhouse’s Wolfman and Paramount’s expansion of September 5. Notably, the comedy genre has no competition during this period, setting the stage for a strong box office debut.

Historically, the MLK holiday weekend has been lucrative for Hollywood. Warner Bros.’ American Sniper still holds the record with a massive $107.2M opening, followed by Sony’s Bad Boys for Life at $73M. The Ride Along franchise also saw success, with its two films earning $48.6M and $41M, respectively.

Will One of Them Days carve its place in MLK weekend box office history? With its star power, laugh-out-loud premise, and strategic timing, the film has all the makings of a hit.