Mean Girls Rule the Box Office: Winter Storms Can’t Stop This Comedy Hit!
Breakthrough Weekend: 'Mean Girls' Conquers the Box Office Amid Winter's Chill
Despite wintry weather and cinema closures in North America, "Mean Girls" emerged victorious during its opening weekend, raking in $28 million according to Sunday's studio estimates. The Paramount release, adapted from the Broadway musical and the 2004 film by Tina Fey, surpassed the original movie's opening weekend earnings of $24.4 million.
The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend saw "Mean Girls" facing off against new releases like "The Beekeeper" and "The Book of Clarence," along with awards contenders riding the buzz from recent nominations and the Golden Globes. Impressively, the film attracted a predominantly female audience, with 70% falling between the ages of 18 and 34.
Featuring Angourie Rice, Auli’i Cravalho, and Renée Rapp, this version of "Mean Girls" was initially slated for streaming on Paramount+. Still, positive test scores prompted a shift to a theatrical release. Tina Fey returned to write and co-star in the film, earning generally positive reviews with a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the audience's CinemaScore of B suggests potential challenges for word-of-mouth appeal.
In the second spot, Amazon and MGM's "The Beekeeper" made its debut with an estimated $16.8 million. "Wonka" secured third place, adding $8.4 million in its fifth weekend, bringing its total to over $178 million domestically and $500 million globally.
Sony's romantic comedy "Anyone But You," starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, continued its successful run, earning nearly $7 million in its fourth weekend. Meanwhile, Universal and Illumination's "Migration" rounded out the top five with $6.2 million in its fourth weekend.
However, not all releases enjoyed success. "The Book of Clarence," a faith-based comedy/drama boasting a star-studded cast, including LaKeith Stanfield and Omar Sy, opened with an estimated $2.6 million from over 2,000 locations, garnering mixed reviews.
As Hollywood's awards season unfolds, some films are still hitting theaters to capitalize on nominations and awards shows. "Poor Things" added $1.8 million, "All of Us Strangers" earned $474,000, "American Fiction" made $1.9 million after expanding nationwide, and "The Zone of Interest" crossed $1 million on 25 screens.
