Mean Girls: The Musical’s Big Change Is A Great Sign For The New Movie

The upcoming Mean Girls musical movie is changing the original film by incorporating musical numbers, but there is another change that has been made that is a great sign. The remake of Tina Fey’s 2004 cult classic is happening after the success of the Broadway musical that previously spun the story into a musical. While the new adaptation is connected to the original Mean Girls and sticks close to it in terms of the story and characters involved, there are understandably changes made to reflect the 20-year difference between them and give viewers a fresh experience with a familiar narrative.

There is a lot of excitement for 2024’s Mean Girls, but there is also pressure to deliver. The original movie is still beloved and has continued to grow in popularity over the years. The musical remake looks to have changed various aspects like modernizing the story and adding in the song and dance numbers. However, there is another significant difference that was announced by the studio, reflecting a change made to the movie during its development. It is directly tied to how audiences will get to experience the Mean Girls musical remake upon its January 12, 2024, release date, and its encouraging for the movie’s chances of success.

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Mean Girls: The Musical’s Theatrical Release Change Is A Vote Of Confidence

Audiences will have the opportunity to experience the Mean Girls musical movie in theaters come January 2024, but that was not always meant to be. Paramount originally began developing the movie with an exclusive streaming release in mind. The plan was for 2024’s Mean Girls to be released on Paramount+ as a new, major piece of exclusive content for Paramount’s streaming service. However, the studio made a shift in September 2023, bringing the announcement that the musical adaptation would instead be released in theaters; it will still come to Paramount+ at a later, yet-to-be-announced date.

Paramount’s decision to give Mean Girls a theatrical release might not seem like too big of a deal at first, but it is a major vote of confidence in the movie from the studio. Releasing the remake on streaming would have potentially brought in more subscribers to Paramount+. However, the studio now seems to believe that Mean Girls can excel at the box office. That makes sense given the original movie’s performance, but the musical will only have a chance to be as successful if it is also on the same level in terms of quality. Paramount’s decision indicates the studio is very confident audiences will love it.

Will Mean Girls: The Musical Be A Box Office Success?

Changing Mean Girls‘ release to theatrical instead of streaming does add pressure in terms of it needing to be a box office success. The original 2004 movie was a surprise box office hit, earning $130 million off a mere $17 million budget. It is not yet known how much the musical Mean Girls remake cost to make, but it should not carry too big of a price tag. The movie managing to match the original film’s box office would undeniably make it a success. Mean Girls‘ early January release date could help it perform well with lacking competition around it, but that is only if it retains the original’s quality.