Mean Girls Dominates the Holiday Season with $32 Million

The Paramount musical “Mean Girls” topped the weekend with $28 million and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday with $32 million, new box office queen bee.

1. An insanely quotable touchstone

One of the reasons that “Mean Girls” is proving that the Plastics are still popular at the box office is because of the ongoing affection for the first film that was released in 2004, an immensely quotable landmark that transformed October 3 into a national holiday, and the power of TikTok. The movie musical was initially commissioned for Paramount+, but after receiving positive feedback from test screenings, the company decided to release it on the big screen. The film’s cost was under $36 million during its production.

In terms of its international revenue, “Mean Girls” brought in $6.5 million from 16 different markets, which is less than half of the worldwide footprint that was projected for the film. Following the opening weekend in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, the film will then be released in additional key regions.

It is hardly unexpected that 76% of ticket purchasers were female, and that 60% of them were under the age of 25. There is a possibility that some of them were unaware that the movie was a musical, which is why they awarded it a CinemaScore of “B+,” which is a mixed rating. (In advertising materials, the studio purposefully attempted to minimize the significance of the song and dance component.)

Get some outstanding items with your bestie and enjoy Mean Girls now!

Although 75% of audiences of Mean Girls were aware that the show was a musical before purchasing a ticket, 16% of them departed the theater “disappointed” with the genre. This information was supplied by Paramount, which based its findings on exit polls. I do not believe that there was any kind of surprise. Chris Aronson, who is in charge of distribution for the studio, argues that audiences were aware of what they were getting themselves into. He believes that the opening weekend figures are a “testament to the longevity of Tina Fey’s iconic property,” and he also believes that “her contemporary twist resonated with moviegoers.”

2. ” A strong opening for a new action thriller”

Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. made the decision to helm Mean Girls 2024, which was a musical adaptation of the film that was released in 2004. Fey returned to write the screenplay, which has a Gen Z polish but remains faithful to the original story about Cady Heron (Angourie Rice takes over the role from Lindsay Lohan, while Renee Rapp embodies Regina George), who returns to the U.S. from Africa and navigates the terrifying jungle of high school.

The action thriller “The Beekeeper,” which was directed by David Ayer, debuted in second place with an amazing $16.8 million over the course of the weekend and an expected $19.1 million through Monday. Additionally, it launched overseas with a total of $20.4 million from 49 territories, bringing the total money made worldwide to $39.1 million.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, “The Beekeeper” had a score of 68% and a CinemaScore of “B+.” However, moviegoers were more receptive to the film than critics were. In the movie, Jason Statham plays the role of Adam Clay, a former spy who decides to fulfill his desire for vengeance when his friend is taken advantage of by a phishing scam that ultimately leads to his death by suicide. The film was produced and financed by Miramax, and Amazon MGM, which purchased the rights to distribute it in North America, is only responsible for the expenses associated with booking the film in theaters within the United States.

“Mean Girls is a strong opening for a new action thriller,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research and believes “The Beekeeper” will be a bigger draw overseas. “Action thrillers perform best in the international markets, and Jason Statham is an established action star throughout the world.”

There was another new release this weekend, but it was unable to make fetch happen. The biblical farce “The Book of Clarence,” which was produced by Sony and Legendary, fell to ninth place with a total of $3.1 million for the period between Friday and Monday. It is a bad beginning for the movie, which has a price tag of forty million dollars and needs a moderate number of people to justify its expense.

3. Many holidays holdovers rounded out box office charts.

Timothée Chalamet’s “Wonka,” a fantasy musical about a fictional chocolatier, earned $11 million over the course of the four days, good enough for third place. With almost $500 million worldwide and a robust $178 million in North America, the picture has been a delightful surprise for Warner Bros. and theater owners.

According to Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst at Comscore, “It marks a tremendous box-office milestone, solidifying Timothee Chalamet’s position as a true movie star and demonstrating the power of a non-franchise film to thrill audiences.”

“Anyone but You,” an R-rated comedy from Sony, continued its upward trend at the box office and earned $8.5 million during the long weekend, placing it at number four. The $25 million picture, which featured Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, had a sluggish start in North America but has since recovered admirably. It has made $78 million globally and $56.4 million in the United States.

“Migration,” an animated comedy produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal, soared to the number five spot with $6.1 million in weekend box office receipts and a projected $8.3 million as of Monday. With an estimated $172 million worldwide and $87.8 million in North America, the film that debuted around Christmas proved to have staying power.

Not only does Mean Girls dominate the holiday season with $32 million, but it also solidifies its position as a phenomenon in the world of pop culture. Not only does this incredible accomplishment demonstrate the film’s global popularity, but it also demonstrates the film’s relevance with audiences who are looking for a combination of humorous and meaningful messages throughout the holiday season. This humorous and smartly written movie has struck a chord with moviegoers of all ages, making it more than simply a film but a key element of Christmas movie-going traditions. As ‘Mean Girls’ continues to rake in remarkable numbers at the box office, it is evident that this movie has struck a chord with moviegoers of all ages.