Movie

The new musical take on Tina Fey's 2004 comedy film debuts to an estimated $28 million in North America, surpassing the original film that made $24.4 million in its opening weekend.

• Jan 15, 2024

AceShowbiz - The new "Mean Girls (2024)" is so fetch, it has won at the domestic box office. The movie is triumphant after collecting an estimated $28 million in its first three days in theaters during the Martin Luther King holiday, according to studio estimates on Sunday, january 14.

Not accounting for inflation, that's more than the $24.4 million the original movie made in its opening weekend. The new musical take on Tina Fey's 2004 comedy film is expected to make $32 million when the results of the four-day weekend are revealed on Monday.

Overseas, the movie, which was directed by Mark Waters from Fey's script, launched in only a few major markets, but got off to a strong start in Australia and Mexico, where it came in No. 1. Its foreign tally is $6.5 million for a global start of $37.5 million against a production budget of $36 million before marketing.

"The property is iconic," says Chris Aronson, Paramount's president of domestic distribution. "Tina Fey is legendary and her contemporary twist has resonated with audiences, particularly the female audience."

"It's no secret that the release calendar is a little light for the first couple months of the year and because of the reception to this film we stand a chance of broadening this audience," he goes on gushing. "It really is a crowd-pleaser."

Starring Angourie Rice, Renee Rapp and Auli'i Cravalho with Fey and Tim Meadows reprising their roles from the 2004 movie, the new iteration received majorly positive reviews from critics (71%) on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, made up of 76% female, gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

The popularity of "Mean Girls" was apparently enough to drown the buzz of "The Beekeeper", an action thriller starring Jason Statham. It opens at No. 2 with an estimated $16.8 million in North America, with additional $20.4 million from the international markets for a global start of $37.2 million.

Contrary to "Mean Girls", the David Ayer-directed pic apparently targeted male audiences, with men making up approximately 62% of ticket buyers. By the end of the four-day weekend, the movie is expected to have made $19.1 million.

Last week's victor "Wonka" slides down to the third place, adding an estimated $8.4 million. It has now made over $178 million domestically and $500 million globally.

"Musicals are on a roll," says Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. "It seems like a lot of studios run away from putting musical on their films for fear of limiting their audience pool, but I think this is a genre Hollywood should embrace and highlight."

At No. 4 is "Anyone But You", which took in an estimated $6.9 million in its fourth weekend. "Migration" rounds out the top five with approximately $6.2 million in its fourth weekend.

Top 10 of North American Box Office (Jan. 12-14, 2024):

1. "Mean Girls (2024)" - $28 million
2. "The Beekeeper" - $16.8 million
3. "Wonka" - $8.4 million
4. "Anyone But You" - $6.9 million
5. "Migration" - $6.2 million
6. "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" - $5.3 million
7. "Night Swim" - $4.7 million
8. "The Boys in the Boat" - $3.5 million
9. "The Book of Clarence" - $2.6 million
10. "The Iron Claw" - $2.4 million