“Mean Girls” the movie, an adapted from the Broadway musical and the 2004 Tina Fey film, opened with $28 million in its first three days in theaters, surpassing the $24.4 million earned by the first film on its opening weekend.
Movie-goers didn’t did not seem deterred by winter storms and cinema closures across North America, in part because of COVID-19 outbreaks.
‘Mean Girls” outperformed several other new releases including the Jay-Z produced biblical satire “The Book of Clarence” and Jason Statham’s action movie “The Beekeeper.”
As with another pink-focused film, “Barbie,” female audiences made up the majority of ticket buyers, with 76% attending the opening weekend screenings.
According to exit polls, around 70% of the “Mean Girls” audience were 18 and 34 years old, meaning that the film managed to hold appeal for audiences not yet born when the original movie’s protagonist, Regina George, was first introduced to the world.
The movie’s contemporary twist, big laughs, and catchy songs seem to resonate with the target audience.
Paramount’s President of Domestic Distribution, Chris Aronson, commented on the audience’s positive reception, noting that the property itself has become iconic, while Tina Fey’s interpretation of the script has endeared the film to a new, female-dominated generation of viewers.
The success of “Mean Girls” may be attributed to its relevance and humor, among other traits.
The movie’s success comes amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with theaters and cinema chains experiencing closures around the world due to public health concerns.
