‘Mean Girls’ Fetches $31 Million MLK Box Office Opening

Martin Luther King Jr. weekend isn’t bringing any monster opening films to the box office, but Paramount’s musical adaptation of “Mean Girls” is off to a solid start with an $11.6 million opening day from 3,791 theaters, putting it on course for a 4-day opening weekend of approximately $31 million.

That’s in line with pre-release projections of $30 million, and will somewhat soften the blow of what is expected to be a rough post-holiday winter for movie theaters. With no major tentpoles coming in January and February, Paramount’s decision to move “Mean Girls” from a straight-to-streaming release to a theatrical one is certainly being welcomed by exhibitors.