Paramount Pictures appears to be confident in Mean Girls Musical reboot’s chances at the box office. The studio has skipped the digital first release model which would have seen the reboot release on Paramount+ to proceed with a theatrical release for the Angourie Rice starrer flick. Insiders suggest the change in strategy is thanks to the wave of praise from audiences during test screenings.
It’s been a tough year for Paramount Pictures at the box office with multiple blockbusters turning out to be a financial loss. While the studio’s 2023 titles like TMNT Mayhem & Transformers: Rise of the Beasts faired well with fans during its CinemaCon reveal – the films failed to result in profit during its theatre run. Similarly, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning also failed to be a box office behemoth due to Barbenheimer.
Fortunately, the Mean Girls musical reboot could lead to a good start at the box office. According to ViewerAnon (an insider known for sharing accurate reports on in-development projects), “the test screening scored well”. A similar response came from scooper BSL noting that Paramount’s decision for a big-screen distribution was thanks to the “positive test screenings that happened throughout the summer.”
Paramount could be hoping for a success along the lines of 2022’s Smile. While the movie features relatively new faces – well-known stars like The Office‘s Jenna Fischer, Joy Ride and Emily in Paris breakout star Ashley Park and Spider-No Way Home‘s Betty actress, Angourie Rice is expected to attract fans of the cult classic IP. Furthermore, With the addition of Tina Fey‘s Ms. Norbury – it’s possible the musical could share some connection to the original 2004 film starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams.
(The test screenings scored well) https://t.co/3TBs1A1wb1
— V (iewerAnon) (@ViewerAnon) September 22, 2023
I hear this was because of postive test screenings that happened throughout the summer. Sounds like Paramount learned from SMILE and are banking on another hit. https://t.co/wGSXgPw9at
— BSL (@bigscreenleaks) September 22, 2023
It remains to be seen if the upcoming adaptation could live up to the classics’ acclaim but since Tina Fey is also involved in penning the script & screenplay, similar to the first film – the hope remains high. Mean Girls Musical will be released in theaters on January 12, 2024, and stands a good chance at gaining legs in the opening weekend due to the MLK 4-day holiday during the week.
Meanwhile, Paramount has also set a release date of October 18, 2024, for Smile 2 while the Bob Marley biopic has been pushed back to February 14. Its animated entry, The Tiger’s Apprentice lost its earlier big-screen release model to be released on streaming via Paramount+.
