Weekend Box Office: MEAN GIRLS and THE BEEKEEPER Repeat Atop Identical Top Five, I.S.S. Starts in Seventh Place

#1 = Mean Girls

Last weekend, Paramount’s musical remake of 2004’s high school comedy earned a $28.6M debut. Now in its sophomore frame, the musical remake falls -59% to $11.7M, remaining in first place amid scarce new wide release offerings.

Compared to the sophomore drops for the three musicals from the past two months, that’s steeper than Wonka (-54%), though slightly milder than The Color Purple (-60%) and Wish (-61%).

The musical reboot has earned $50.0M through 10 days. Through the same point in release, that’s running +19% ahead of 2004’s original Mean Girls = $42.0M.

Read Boxoffice PRO’s interview with Mean Girls co-directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. here:

https://www.boxofficepro.com/petty-in-pink-mean-girls-co-directors-samantha-jayne-and-arturo-perez-jr-rally-the-plastics-for-paramounts-musical-revival/ 

#2 = The Beekeeper

Last weekend, MGM’s R-rated action thriller opened to $16.5M opening.

That was on the highest end of Jason Statham “non-franchise” action movies, excluding installments from his three main series: The Fast and the Furious, The Expendables, and The Meg.

Now in its sophomore frame, Beekeeper falls -49% to $8.4M, repeating in second place.

Versus Statham’s other comparable titles, that sophomore drop is milder than:

• 2013’s Homefront = -50%
• 2013’s Parker = -53%
• 2011’s The Mechanic = -54%
• 2021’s Wrath of Man = -55%
• 2023’s Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre = -59%
• 2012’s Safe = -66%

However, it’s steeper than:

• 2016’s Mechanic: Resurrection = -40%
• 2011’s Killer Elite = -47%

#3 = Wonka

In its sixth frame, Warner Bros.’ fantasy musical falls -24% to $6.4M, repeating in third place.

Wonka has now earned $187.1M total through 38 days. Through the same point in release, that’s running:

• -2.8% below 2005’s non-musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory = $192.6M
• +15% above 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns = $162.6M
• +51% above 2014’s Into the Woods = $123.9M
• +56% above 2017’s The Greatest Showman = $119.5M

#4 = Anyone But You

Sony Pictures’ romantic comedy has held terrifically well: opening in fourth place, declining to fifth, repeating in fifth, but then last weekend increasing back to fourth.

Now in its fifth frame, it holds in that position with a -24% decline to $5.4M.

The film now finally falls below its opening weekend, after spending its second, third, and fourth frames higher than its debut.

It’s now earned $64.2M through 31 days. That’s running either ahead of or almost even with several major romantic comedies from the past five years, despite opening far below each of them:

• +30% above 2023’s No Hard Feelings = $49.2M
• +23% above 2019’s What Men Want = $52.0M
• +4% above 2022’s Ticket to Paradise = $61.5M

Anyone finally overtook Ticket last Tuesday, on their respective 26th days of release.

#5 = Migration

Now in its fifth frame, Universal’s Illumination animated title drops -15% to $5.3M, repeating in fifth place.

It’s now earned $94.6M through 31 days. Versus other comparable 2023 animated titles through the same point in release, that’s:

• -24% below June’s Elemental = $125.6M
• -7% below August’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem = $102.7M
• +6% above November’s Trolls Band Together = $88.6M
• +66% above November’s Wish = $56.7M

Versus some other animated comps from recent holiday seasons, Migration is also running:

• -23% below December 2021’s Sing 2, also from Illumination = $123.9M
• -19% below 2022’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish = $117.7M

#6 = Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

In its fifth frame, the Warner Bros. superhero sequel “lost” -30% to $3.6M.

It’s falling far quicker than 2018’s original Aquaman. That title spent its first five frames in first, first, first, second, and third place. The sequel has now come in first, second, third, sixth, and now again sixth.

Kingdom has earned $114.1M through 31 days. Through the same point in release, that’s running below the original Aquaman, but better than several comparable (albeit notoriously underperforming) 2022 or 2023 superhero movies:

• -62% below December 2018’s original Aquaman = $304.1M
• -27% below 2022’s Black Adam = $157.1M
• +6% above June’s The Flash = $106.8M
• +37% above November’s The Marvels = $82.9M

#7 = I.S.S.

Bleecker Street’s outer space thriller opened to $3.0M.

While that’s -69% below 2022’s Moonfall at $9.8M, it’s in line with the mid-tier distributor Bleecker Street’s openings. The distributor’s highest opening weekend is 2017’s Logan Lucky = $7.6M.

#8 = Night Swim

Now in its sophomore frame, the Universal Pictures and Blumhouse horror falls -41% to $2.7M.

It’s earned $23.7M through 17 days, on the lower end of Blumhouse horror titles. Through the same point in release, that’s running:

• -23% below 2015’s The Gift = $31.0M
• -17% below 2015’s Unfriended = $28.7M
• -5% below 2014’s Oculus = $25.2M
• +9% above 2015’s The Lazarus Effect = $21.7M
• +11% above 2015’s The Gallows = $21.3M

#9 = The Boys in the Boat

In its fourth frame, Amazon MGM Studios’ inspirational sports drama sinks only -26% to $2.5M.

After opening midweek on a Monday for Christmas Day, Boat has earned $43.8M through 28 days.

Compared to other similar inspirational sports dramas of the 21st century, through the same point in release, Boat is running ahead of:

• 2.4x 2016’s Race = $18.1M
• +96% above 2021’s American Underdog = $22.2M
• +60% above 2014’s When the Game Stands Tall = $27.2M
• +38% above 2009’s Invictus = $31.7M
• +34% above 2014’s Million Dollar Arm = $32.6M
• +9% above 2006’s We Are Marshall = $40.9M

However, it’s running behind:

• -6% below 2010’s Secretariat = $46.9M
• -15% below 2006’s Invincible = $52.1M
• -23% below 2004’s Miracle = $57.2M
• -45% below 2013’s 42 about Jackie Robinson = $80.0M
• -49% below 2003’s Seabiscuit = $86.7M

#10 = Poor Things

In its seventh frame, Searchlight Pictures’ strange comedy actually increased by +14% to $2.0M.

The film more than doubled its theater count, from 580 to a highest-yet 1,400.

It’s now earned $20.3M total, though that seems unlikely to match writer-director Yorgos Lantihimos’ and star Emma Stone’s 2018 The Favourite with $34.3M.

Read Boxoffice PRO’s interview with Poor Things cinematographer Robbie Ryan here:

https://www.boxofficepro.com/and-god-created-woman-cinematographer-robbie-ryan-reunites-with-yorgos-lanthimos-on-poor-things/ 

Weekend comparisons

Total box office this weekend comes in around $61.8M. That’s the lowest weekend since September 15-17, when The Nun II led for a second frame with $14.5M.

Here’s how this weekend compares to last weekend, the same weekend last year, and the same weekend in the last pre-pandemic year of 2019:

YTD comparisons

Year-to-date box office stands around $405.6M.

Here’s how that compares to last year and the last pre-pandemic year of 2019:

Top distributors

Here are the current rankings of the “Big Five” distributors plus two others which have crossed the $10M mark.

This early on in the year, some mid-level distributors such as Amazon MGM Studios and A24 are actually above some of the “Big Five,” at least for now.

Grouped by parent company, the YTD leaders are:

1. 1. Warner Bros.: $107.0M
   2. Universal + Focus Features: $70.0M
   3. Amazon MGM Studios: $59.5M
   4. Paramount: $50.1M
   5. Sony Pictures + Sony Classics + Crunchyroll + Affirm: $45.5M
   6. A24: $17.2M
   7. Disney + 20th Century + Searchlight + Star: $15.7M

Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates: