‘Mean Girls’ fetches $11.7M in second weekend to stay No. 1 at box office

NEW YORK – On a quiet weekend in film theaters, “Mean Girls” repeated atop the box office with $11.7 million in price ticket gross sales, in accordance to studio estimates Sunday, whilst a handful of awards contenders sought to make an affect forward of Oscar nominations Tuesday.

With a dearth of latest releases in cinemas, Paramount Pictures’ Tina Fey-scripted musical “Mean Girls” driven its two-week general previous $50 million, in conjunction with $16.2 million across the world. So a long way, it is outpacing the tally for the 2004 authentic “Mean Girls.”

Only one new movie debuted in extensive free up: “I.S.S.,” a modestly budgeted sci-fi thriller starring Ariana DeBose. The film, which speculates what would happen aboard the International Space Station if war broke out between the U.S. and Russia, debuted with $3 million on 2,518 screens for Bleecker Street.

Expectations weren’t high for “I.S.S.,” which drew simplest so-so opinions and used to be evenly advertised. Audiences additionally did not find it irresistible, giving the movie a “C-” CinemaScore.

But even for January, historically a low ebb for moviegoing, it was a sparsely attended weekend, with paltry options on the big screen. The top 10 films collectively accounted for just $51.3 million in box office, according to Comscore.

With a similarly thin release schedule on deck for next weekend, it could be the start of a chastening trend for Hollywood in 2024. Due to production delays caused by last year’s strikes, there are significant holes throughout this year’s movie calendar.

The Jason Statham thriller “The Beekeeper,” from Amazon MGM Studios, remained in second place, grossing $8.5 million in its second weekend to bring its total to $31.1 million. Warner Bros. “Wonka,” six weeks into its smash run in theaters, was third, with $6.4 million in ticket sales. It’s taken in $187.2 million domestically.

Much of the weekend’s action was in expanding awards contenders.

After a qualifying release in December, Ava DuVernay’s “Origin,” starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as the “Caste” author Isabel Wilkerson, launched in 125 theaters and pulled in $875,000 — a strong start for the acclaimed film.

Yorgos Lanthimos’ darkish fable “Poor Things,” starring Emma Stone, added 820 theaters and grossed $2 million from 1,400 places. The Searchlight Pictures free up, which won the Golden Globe for best comedy-musical, has earned $33.7 million globally in seven weeks of slowly increasing free up.

Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” starring Jeffrey Wright as a pissed off novelist, expanded to 850 displays and pulled in $1.8 million. “American Fiction,” up to $8 million in six weeks, will look for a boost in Tuesday’s Oscar nominations.

Jonathan Glazer’s Auschwitz film “The Zone of Interest” expanded to 82 displays, grossing $447,684 for A24.

But after a powerful release, every other awards contender, “The Color Purple,” has briefly fallen off the radar of moviegoers. Though extensively acclaimed and with the backing of manufacturers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, the Warner Bros. musical has dropped rapid in fresh weeks. In its fourth week of free up, the Blitz Bazawule-directed movie starring Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks, grossed simply $720,000. Its home general is $59.3 million, underneath hopes for the $100-million budgeted movie.

Estimated price ticket gross sales for Friday via Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, in accordance to Comscore. Final home figures shall be launched Monday.

1. “Mean Girls,” $11.7 million.

2. “The Beekeeper,” $8.5 million.

3. “Wonka,” $6.4 million.

4. “Anyone But You,” $5.4 million.

5. “Migration,” $5.3 million.

6. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” $3.7 million.

7. “I.S.S.,” $3 million.

8. “Night Swim,” $2.7 million.

9. “The Boys in the Boat,” $2.5 million.

10. “Poor Things,” $2 million.