Paramount’s “Mean Girls” musical is winning most popular at the domestic box office this weekend. Early on, the Broadway version of the well-liked 2004 comedy is outperforming the most recent action movie starring Jason Statham, “The Beekeeper.”
Beekeeper Box Office Collection
Throughout Friday and preview screenings, “Mean Girls” brought in $11.65 million from 3,791 locations, on track to collect $31.5 million throughout the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. That is a significant sum for a musical that was initially intended to be streamed straight on Paramount+ rather than play in theaters. Test screenings led the studio to rethink its position.
Many viewers noticed that the “Mean Girls” musical’s marketing seemed to deliberately omit song-and-dance sequences from the very first trailer. The middling “B” score derived from a poll of early crowds by research firm Cinema Score suggests that some ticket buyers may have been taken aback to learn that the movie was a Broadway musical on the big screen. “Mean Girls” should more than cover its $36 million production budget if it can maintain its current level of success in the coming weeks (with ticket sales that it would have waived altogether had it premiered on streaming).
Angourie Rice plays homeschooling Cady in the new “Mean Girls,” taking over Lindsay Lohan’s role from the first movie. Reunited with her Broadway character, Reneé Rapp plays the tough Regina George with Bebe Wood, Avantika, and the original stars, Tim Meadows and Tina Fey, who also created the screenplay for the film and the musical.
Next in line was Amazon MGM’s “The Beekeeper,” which made a healthy $6.7 million from 3,303 venues on Friday and in previews. The David Ayer-directed conspiracy action thriller also gets a revenue bump from Imax showtimes. A four-day finish in the high teens looks likely, however, there’s a shot at getting over $20 million too. For a low-budget thriller that received a “B+” on Cinema Score, this is a respectable outcome.
Wonka Continues to Sweeten the Box Office Cross $500 Million Globally
Adam Clay, a former espionage specialist known as a Beekeeper, is portrayed by Statham as a man out on a revenge mission who discovers a plot against the general population. Despite widespread conjecture on the internet, director Ayer disputes that Joe and Hunter Biden served as inspiration for the movie’s concept. Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons, Emmy Raver-Lampman, and Minnie Driver also star.
The biblical parody “The Book of Clarence,” which opens this weekend as well, looks misguided and probably won’t make more than $5 million in its four days. 1,891 venues will host Sony’s presentation of the Legendary production. The film, which starred LaKeith Stanfield and was directed by up-and-coming Jeymes Samuels, had a mediocre reception when it debuted at the London Film Festival last autumn.
In its fifth weekend, “Wonka” is likely to finish in third place. The Warner Bros. film is expected to earn in the low double digits during the holiday season, increasing its domestic total above the remarkable $167 million it has already brought in. The musical starring Timothée Chalamet is still going strong and is expected to earn over $500 million globally.
In its fourth weekend of release, Sony’s “Anyone but You” is continuing to remain strong and rise in the charts. Just 35% less than the $3.2 million it brought in a week earlier, the romantic comedy brought in an additional $2.1 million on Friday. The two-hander by Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell has garnered excellent word-of-mouth following a subdued holiday premiere. The domestic total will top $50 million sometime Saturday.
Pecking at a four-day total north of $6.8 million, Universal’s “Migration” looks to cruise into fifth place. The bird-themed animated film hasn’t topped the charts like some of Illumination’s previous releases, but its lower cost and strong endurance have helped it gain traction.
Summary
Paramount’s “Mean Girls” musical has emerged as the unexpected winner at the domestic box office, outperforming the latest action film, “The Beekeeper,” starring Jason Statham. “Mean Girls” secured $11.65 million on Friday and preview screenings, projecting a $31.5 million collection over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Despite being initially slated for streaming on Paramount+, test screenings prompted a theatrical release, and the musical seems set to exceed its $36 million production budget, challenging expectations.