‘Mean Girls’ remains No. 1 at the box office

NEW YORK — “Mean Girls,” which had a quiet weekend in theaters Sunday, topped the box office with $11.7 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates, while a handful of awards contenders tried to make an impact ahead of Oscar nominations on Tuesday.

Due to the lack of new releases in theaters, the two-week total for Paramount Pictures’ Tina Fey-scripted musical “Mean Girls” exceeded $50 million and $16.2 million internationally. It has so far surpassed the score of the 2004 original “Mean Girls.”

Only one new film has received wide release: the modest-budget sci-fi thriller “ISS,” starring Ariana DeBose. The film, which predicts what will happen on the International Space Station in the event of war between the United States and Russia, opened on Bleecker Street with $3 million on 2,518 screens.

Expectations were not high for the “ISS”, which received only so-called reviews and was not marketed much. Audiences didn’t like it either, and the film was given a “C-” CinemaScore.

But even for January, which is a historically low decline for moviegoing, it was a low-attendance weekend with paltry options on the big screen. According to Comscore, the top 10 films grossed just $51.3 million in total.

A similarly weak release schedule for next weekend could mark the beginning of a punishing trend for Hollywood in 2024. Due to production delays caused by last year’s strikes, there are significant gaps in this year’s film schedule.

Amazon MGM Studios’ Jason Statham thriller “The Beekeeper” grossed $8.5 million in its second weekend, bringing its total to $31.1 million. Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” came in third place with $6.4 million in ticket sales, six weeks into its huge success in theaters. 187.2 million dollars were received from the country.

Additionally, Sony Pictures’ “Anyone But You” continues to lag behind. The romantic comedy, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, surpassed $100 million worldwide in its fifth week of release. It’s the highest-grossing R-rated romantic comedy since 2016’s “Bridget Jones’s Baby” (a genre that’s largely moved to streaming platforms). It ranked fourth in the country with 5.4 million dollars.

Much of the weekend was about expanding the awards nominations.

Ava DuVernay’s “Origin,” starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as “Cast” author Isabel Wilkerson, opened in 125 theaters and grossed $875,000 after its release in December; which was a strong start for the acclaimed film.

Yorgos Lanthimos’s dark fantasy movie “Poor Things,” starring Emma Stone, added 820 theaters and grossed $2 million from 1,400 venues. The Searchlight Pictures film, which won the Golden Globe for best comedy-musical, grossed $33.7 million worldwide in seven weeks of its slowly expanding release.

Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” starring Jeffrey Wright as a frustrated novelist, expanded to 850 screens and grossed $1.8 million. “American Fiction,” which is set to make $8 million in six weeks, will look for a boost in Tuesday’s Oscar nominations.

Jonathan Glazer’s Auschwitz movie “The Zone of Interest” expanded to 82 screens and the A24 film grossed $447,684.

But after a strong launch, another awards contender, “The Color Purple,” quickly fell off moviegoers’ radar. With the support of producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, the critically acclaimed Warner Bros. The musical has experienced a rapid decline in recent weeks. The film, directed by Blitz Bazawule and starring Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks, grossed only $720,000 in its fourth week of release. The domestic total is $59.3 million; This is below expectations for a movie with a budget of $100 million.

Estimated ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be announced on Monday.

1. “Mean Girls,” $11.7 million.

2. “The Beekeeper,” $8.5 million.

3. “Wonka,” $6.4 million.

4. “Everybody But You,” $5.4 million.

5. “Immigration,” $5.3 million.

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

7. “ISS,” $3 million.

8. “Night Swim,” $2.7 million.

9. “Kids in the Boat” $2.5 million.

10. “Poor Things,” $2 million.