Mean Girls Makes a Strong Box Office Debut Despite Winter Storms and Cinema Closures
The Broadway musical adaptation of Mean Girls opened to great success at the box office, despite challenging weather conditions and ongoing cinema closures in North America. The film, directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., earned $28 million in its first three days in theaters, surpassing the opening weekend earnings of the original 2004 movie. The audience for Mean Girls was primarily female, with 76% of opening weekend ticket buyers being women. The film also appealed to a younger demographic, with 70% of the audience between the ages of 18 and 34.
Mean Girls Outperforms Competitors Over Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Weekend
Despite facing competition from several new releases, including The Beekeeper and The Book of Clarence, Mean Girls emerged as the top performer over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Its success can be attributed to the film's iconic status and Tina Fey's contemporary twist, which resonated with audiences, particularly its female viewers. The positive word-of-mouth and strong social media presence also contributed to its box office triumph.
The female-driven film, similar to Barbie, attracted a predominantly female audience, accounting for 76% of ticket sales. Surprisingly, 70% of the audience consisted of viewers between the ages of 18 and 34, who were not yet born when the original movie was released. Paramount's president of domestic distribution, Chris Aronson, recognized the enduring popularity and appeal of the Mean Girls property, praising Tina Fey's involvement in crafting a modern version of the story.
Mean Girls Benefits from Positive Reviews and Audience Reception
Mean Girls, which stars Angourie Rice, Auli’i Cravalho, and Reneé Rap, received favorable reviews from critics, earning a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, its CinemaScore of B suggests that the film may not generate strong word-of-mouth appeal. Despite this, Paramount remains optimistic about its future success, considering the film's notable opening weekend and its positive impact on the release calendar, which generally lacks major releases during the early months of the year.
With an estimated production cost of $36 million, Mean Girls showcased its ability to draw audiences to theaters, earning $6.5 million from international markets. The studio hopes to broaden its audience further and capitalize on its crowd-pleasing nature. Paramount recognized the potential of the musical genre, which has recently seen success with films like Wonka and The Color Purple.
Other Box Office Highlights: The Beekeeper, Wonka, and Anyone But You
In addition to Mean Girls, several other films made a mark at the box office over the holiday weekend. The Beekeeper, a collaboration between Amazon and MGM, debuted in second place with an estimated $16.8 million in ticket sales. The film, which primarily attracted male viewers, received a favorable B+ CinemaScore.
Timothée Chalamet-led musical Wonka continued to perform well, adding $8.4 million to its total earnings of over $178 million domestically and $500 million globally. The romantic comedy Anyone But You, released by Sony, also proved to be a sleeper success, earning nearly $7 million in its fourth weekend.
On the other hand, The Book of Clarence, a star-studded faith-based comedy/drama, had a disappointing start, making only $2.6 million from a limited number of locations. The film, which aimed to capture the spirit of Golden Age biblical epics, received mixed reviews and a B CinemaScore from audiences.
