Mean Girls Leads Holiday Weekend Box Office

Mean Girls leads the weekend with The Beekeeper following in second place.

By Jamie Lovett - January 13, 2024 02:33 pm EST

Paramount's Mean Girls musical movie leads the box office in its opening weekend. The new Mean Girls movie is headed toward a debut weekend total of $31.5 million despite the winter weather encouraging people to stay home or closing down theaters altogether in significant swaths of the country. Mean Girls – a film adaptation of the Mean Girls Broadway musical based on the original Mean Girls movie from 2004 – has been warmly received by critics. The Rotten Tomatoes Critical Consensus reads, "Preserving the essence of the original while adding a few new wrinkles -- not to mention musical numbers -- Mean Girls is a sweet (if slight) update with an outstanding cast."

Also opening this week is The Beekeeper, the latest film from Suicide Squad director David Ayer, which is set for a $19 million debut. The Beekeeper, starring Jason Statham, has also done decently with critics. Its Rotten Tomatoes Critical Consensus reads, "Cheerfully undemanding and enjoyably retrograde, The Beekeeper proves that when it comes to dispensing action-thriller justice, Statham hasn't lost his sting."

Also at the box office this holiday weekend is Wonka, which is looking at a third-place finish in its fifth weekend, followed by Anyone But You in fourth place. Illumination's Migration will fill out the top five. The list of the top 10 films at the box office this weekend follows.

1. Mean Girls

(Photo:
Bebe Wood plays Gretchen, Renee Rapp plays Regina and Avantika plays Karen in Mean Girls from Paramount Pictures. Photo: Jojo Whilden/Paramount © 2023 Paramount Pictures.
- JOJO WHILDEN)

Opening Weekend
Total: $31.5 million

New student Cady Heron gets welcomed into the top of the social food chain by an elite group of popular girls called the Plastics, ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George. However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina's ex-boyfriend, she soon finds herself caught in their crosshairs.

Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. directed Mean Girls from a screenplay by Tina Fey. The film is based on the Mean Girls Broadway musical, itself based on the original Mark Waters comedy film of the same name from 2004, which was based on Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 book Queen Bees and Wannabes. The film stars Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auliʻi Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Avantika, Bebe Wood, Christopher Briney, Jenna Fischer. and Busy Philipps, Tina Fey, and Tim Meadows

2. The Beekeeper

Opening Weekend
Total: $19.2 million

One man's brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after it's revealed he's a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as Beekeepers.

David Ayer directed The Beekeeper from a screenplay written by Kurt Wimmer. It stars Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad, and Jeremy Irons.

3. Wonka

Week Five
Weekend: $10.3 million
Total: $178.1 million

Armed with nothing but a hatful of dreams, young chocolatier Willy Wonka manages to change the world, one delectable bite at a time.

Paul King directed Wonka from a screenplay he co-wrote with Simon Farnaby, based on characters created by Roald Dahl. The film stars Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman and Hugh Grant.

4. Anyone But You

Week Four
Weekend: $9.25 million
Total: $57.4 million

Despite an amazing first date, Bea and Ben's initial attraction quickly turns sour. However, when they unexpectedly find themselves at a destination wedding in Australia, they pretend to be the perfect couple to keep up appearances.

Will Gluck directed Anyone but You from a screenplay he co-wrote with Ilana Wolpert, adapting and modernizing the William Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing. Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell star in the film.

5. Migration

Week Four
Weekend: $6.8 million
Total: $86.4 million

A family of ducks decides to leave the safety of a New England pond for an adventurous trip to Jamaica. However, their well-laid plans quickly go awry when they get lost and wind up in New York City. The experience soon inspires them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends, and accomplish more than they ever thought possible.

Benjamin Renner directed Migration, with co-director Homsy, from a screenplay written by Mike White. The film's voice cast includes Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Keegan-Michael Key, Awkwafina, and Danny DeVito.

6. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Week Four
Weekend: $5.9 million
Total: $108.8 million

In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which arrived in theaters on December 22nd, when an ancient power is unleashed, Aquaman must forge an uneasy alliance with an unlikely ally to protect Atlantis, and the world, from irreversible devastation. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will see the return of Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Amber Heard as Mera, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, and Randall Park as Stephen Shin. Jani Zhao will play new character Stingray, Indya Moore will play Karshon, and Vincent Regan will play Atlan, who was previously portrayed by Graham McTavish in Aquaman.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is directed by James Wan, with a script from David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Producers include Wan and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran.

7. Night Swim

(Photo:
Kerry Condon in Night Swim (2024)
- Universal/Blumhouse/Atomic Monster)

Week Two
Weekend: $4 million
Total: $19.1 million

Forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, former baseball player Ray Waller moves into a new house with his wife and two children. He hopes that the backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for himself. However, a dark secret from the home's past soon unleashes a malevolent force that drags the family into the depths of inescapable terror.

Bryce McGuire wrote and directed Night Swim, expanded on the 2014 short film of the same name he created with Rod Blackhurst. It stars Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon.

8. Guntur Kaaram

Opening Weekend
Total: $4.58 million

Follows Guntur Karam, the king of the underworld of Guntur city, as he falls in love with a journalist working to expose the illegal activities in the city.

Trivikram Srinivas wrote and directed Guntur Kaaram. The film stars Mahesh Babu, Sreeleela, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Ramya Krishna, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, and Jagapathi Babu.

9. The Boys in the Boat

Week Three
Weekend: $4.19 million
Total: $40 million

During the height of the Great Depression, members of the rowing team at the University of Washington get thrust into the spotlight as they compete for gold at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

George Clooney directed The Boys in the Boat from a screenplay written by Mark L. Smith, based on the 2013 book by Daniel James Brown. The film stars Callum Turner and Joel Edgerton.

10. The Book of Clarence

Opening Weekend
Total: $3 million

A down-on-his-luck man struggles to find a better life for his family while fighting to free himself of debt. Captivated by the power and glory of the rising Messiah, he risks everything to carve his own path to a divine life, ultimately discovering that the redemptive power of belief may be his only way out.

Jeymes Samuel wrote and directed The Book of Clarence. It stars LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, Anna Diop, David Oyelowo, Micheal Ward, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor, Caleb McLaughlin, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, James McAvoy, and Benedict Cumberbatch.