Paramount musical Mean Girls launches in 647 cinemas at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, as it aims to end the six-week run of Wonka atop the chart.
From first-time feature directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., Mean Girls is based on the Broadway musical of the same name; which in turn was based on Mark Waters’ 2004 comedy; itself based on Rosalind Wiseman’s 2002 book Queen Bees and Wannabes.
Both films were written by Tina Fey, who reprises her role as maths teacher Ms. Norbury in the new title. Angourie Rice leads the film as teenager Cady Heron, who transfers to a public high school having previously been homeschooled in Kenya.
Released by United International Pictures in June 2004, the first Mean Girls film opened to £1.4m, ending on £5.7m. It has since become a favourite of the high school genre, with many lines firmly ensconced in pop culture (“You can’t sit with us!”, “That was so fetch”, “Boo, you whore!”).
The first film’s enduring popularity plus the wide release will give Paramount hopes of beating that £5.7m total; and also opening high enough to knock another musical, Warner Bros’ Wonka, off first place.
The chocolate-coated favourite made £2.2m last weekend for a huge £56.2m total. It dropped 40.7% on its previous session; a similar fall this weekend would give it £1.3m, which Mean Girls should be able to clear.
Neither film has promoted its musical numbers heavily in marketing materials, instead relying on the pre-existing IP. The box office success of Wonka seems to validate this strategy; although musicals can make good money, with La La Land (£30.5m) and The Greatest Showman (£50.1m) the two best examples of recent years.
Hold steady
Universal is debuting its Focus Features awards contender The Holdovers in 219 cinemas. The film reunites Sideways director Alexander Payne with actor Paul Giamatti, in the story of a teacher in New England in 1970, who is forced to stay at school to guard a small group of youngsters with nowhere to go over the Christmas holidays.
The Holdovers debuted at Telluride Film Festival in August 2023, going on to Toronto, London and Stockholm among others. It is in awards consideration in several categories, including Payne’s directing; David Hemingson’s script; Paul Giamatti’s lead performance; and supporting roles from Da’Vine Joy Randolph – widely considered the frontrunner in that category – and newcomer Dominic Sessa.
Sideways took a decent £3.9m through Fox International in January 2005, having opened to £349,642; similar figures would represent a good performance for The Holdovers.
Signature Entertainment is opening The End We Start From, the debut feature of 2012 Screen Star of Tomorrow Mahalia Belo. Another Screen Star, 2016’s Jodie Comer, leads the cast as a woman trying to find her way home with her newborn child while an environmental crisis submerges London in floodwaters.
It debuted as a Gala Presentation at Toronto last year, going on to play BFI London Film Festival. As well as feature roles in Free Guy and The Last Duel, Comer demonstrated her theatrical draw with 2022’s National Theatre Live: Prima Facie, which made £5.5m – at the time the highest-grossing post-pandemic event cinema release in the UK and Ireland.
In Broad Daylight, a Hong Kong drama by Lawrence Kwan Chun Kan, receives a 33-site opening through Central City Media. The film follows an investigative journalist who poses as the granddaughter of a care home patient, to uncover the culture of abuse and corruption at the facility.
Limited releases include Clay Tatum’s US comedy The Civil Dead in one cinema through Bulldog Film Distribution; and theatrical releases tied to the BFI’s Werner Herzog season – Thomas von Steinaecker’s 2022 documentary Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer in 10 cinemas; and the German director’s own 1974 film The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser in six sites, both through BFI Distribution.
In event cinema, Piece Of Magic is playing Giselle, Dutch National Ballet in 130 UK venues on Sunday, January 21.
Along with Wonka, key holdovers include Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, which will look to its 11 Bafta nominations to boost its already decent start; and Sony’s Anyone But You, which has achieved the rare feat of increasing its takings on its two previous weekends.
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