MLK Weekend Box Office Trends

In a promising start at the North American box office, the film adaptation of the Broadway hit, “Mean Girls,” struts to $3.3 million in previews, matching the performance of “Wonka.” The Paramount production, directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., comes with a modest $36 million production cost and is anticipated to secure a first-place finish with a potential $30 million opening over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

This new iteration of the 2004 teen comedy classic, which achieved cultural icon status, reunites writer Tina Fey and some original cast members, including Fey and Tim Meadows. The ensemble cast features Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho, Bebe Wood, and Chris Briney. Fey’s return to pen the script adds a touch of nostalgia to the female-centric film, earning it attention twenty years after the original Lindsay Lohan-led cult classic.

While the original “Mean Girls” holds an 84 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, the new film currently maintains a fresh 70 percent from its initial 108 reviews. This positive critical reception bodes well for the movie’s potential success as it competes on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend marquee.

The box office landscape during this extended weekend includes other notable contenders, such as Amazon/MGM’s “The Beekeeper,” an action-packed feature starring Jason Statham. Despite earning $2.4 million in Thursday previews and aiming for a mid to high teens opening, genre pictures like “The Beekeeper” typically experience frontloaded box office performance, potentially falling behind the momentum of “Mean Girls” as the weekend progresses.

In addition to these releases, “The Book of Clarence” is making its nationwide debut over the holiday weekend, adding another option for moviegoers. Meanwhile, “American Fiction,” an awards hopeful, is expanding its presence in theaters.

As audiences navigate the choices at the box office, “Mean Girls” and “The Beekeeper” emerge as frontrunners, each offering a distinct cinematic experience for viewers seeking comedy or action during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday festivities.

Re-reported from the article originally published in The hollywood reporter