Receipts: ‘Mean Girls’ Returns, ‘The Beekeeper’ Faces Uphill Battle
Domestic: Mean Girls fans rejoice: the cult classic is back in theaters with a remake. This year’s Mean Girls is a musical, but the differences end there – the film follows a similar storyline to the 2004 original, and even kept Tina Fey on the team, along with several members of the original cast. Audience and critical response alike has been overwhelmingly positive, with a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes. Since its January 12 release, Mean Girls has managed an impressive $50 million domestic gross and $16 million international gross, for a total of over $66 million worldwide. With an estimated production budget of $36 million, the film is on its way to profitability after less than a month in theaters. Featuring original cast members Tim Meadows as Mr. Duvall, Lindsay Lohan as a Mathletes moderator, and Tiny Fey as Ms. Norbury, the film also stars Auli’i Cravalho as Janis, Jaquel Spivey as Damien, Avantika Vandanapu as Karen, Mahi Alam as Kevin, and John El-Jor as Jason.
In the shadow of Mean Girls, Jason Statham action thriller The Beekeeper has struggled in the ox office since its January 12 release. With an estimated production budget of $34 million, The Beekeeper has so far achieved a respectable $31 million domestic gross, but is far from profitability. With positive critical and audience reviews, The Beekeeper is likely to fare fine, but has a tough road ahead amid Mean Girls buzz. Featuring Emmy Raver-Lampman, Phylicia Rashad, Bobby Naderi, Chelsea Li, Derek Siow, Baba Oyejide, and Reza Diako, the film tells the story of an underground vigilante organization known as The Beekeepers, and one member’s quest for revenge after his identity as a former Beekeeper is revealed.
International: For the second weekend in a row, Korean “time traveling-fantasy-adventure” movie Alienoid: The Return to the Future has commanded the box office. According to the Korean Film Council, Alienoid 2 has thus far grossed $4.67 million, to much surprise. The first Alienoid was one of the biggest box office failures of 2022, after terrible reviews from critics and audiences led to its finish at a measly $12.2 million. The second film, however, has fared much better with audiences, and is benefiting from a slow film month in the country. Starring Kim Tae-ri, Kim Woo-bin, Ryu Jun-yeol, Lee Hanee, So Ji-sub, and Jo Woo-jin, Alienoid 2: Return to the Future follows a group of ancient Taoists on the hunt through time and space for a relic known as the Divine Sword. With a 7.9/10 on IMDB, audiences seem more interested in the sequel than its predecessor.
In Japan, the animated feature Spy x Family Code: White is seeing great success in theaters with nearly 4 million tickets sold since its January 6th release. Having grossed over $33.5 million in Japan, Spy x Family Code has been a hit with audiences and critics alike. Voiced by Tomoya Nakamura, Atsumi Tanezaki, Takuya Eguchi, and Soari Hayami, the film tells the story of Loid, who receives an order to be replaced within the Operation Strix organization. In order to stave off being replaced, Loid helps his friend Anya enter a cooking competition at Eden Academy, where they must recreate the principal’s favorite meal to cement his fate.
Streaming: Since its release on Netflix, Kevin-Hart-led Lift has parked itself in the top spot on the streamer’s Top 10 with over 58 million hours viewed. Despite mixed reviews, the direct-to-streaming feature has 50 million more views than Transporter 2 in second place. With Úrsula Corberó, Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kim Yoon-ji, and Jacob Batalon, Lift is the story of a seasoned thief who, with the help of his girlfriend and the FBI, is tasked with a high-stakes heist on a flight from London to Zurich.
2023’s The Equalizer 3 finds itself in third place, its second week in the Top 10, with 10.4 million hours viewed. The Equalizer series began in 2014 with The Equalizer, followed by The Equalizer 2 in 2018, and is based on an eponymous television series. Starring Denzel Washington alongside Sonia Ammar, Gaia Scodellaro, Andrea Scarduzio, Andrea Dodero, Bruno Bilotta, and Salvatore Ruocco, the third installment of the Equalizer series sees Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) retired in Southern Italy after a career as a government assassin. When he finds his new friends under the thumb of the mafia, McCall takes on the mafia himself to protect his friends.
Tyler Perry’s The Single Mom’s Club comes in at fifth place, with 8.5 million hours viewed in its first week on the Top 10. The 2014 comedy suffered poor audience and critical reception during its time in theaters, but viewers have found it more palatable as an easygoing Netflix watch. Starring Tyler Perry as TK, Cocoa Brown as Lytia, Nia Long as May, Terry Crews as Branson, and Kendra C. Johnson as Alicia, The Single Mom’s Club is a tale of friendship and camaraderie among a group of single mothers. When five moms find their children facing expulsion from school, they form The Single Mom’s club and take on the task of organizing a school dance and fundraiser. With varying backgrounds – from a fast-food worker to a corporate executive – the moms find unlikely companionship and plenty of outlandishly funny encounters.