Box Office: ‘Mean Girls’ Singing to $31M Plus Opening, ‘Beekeeper’ Buzzing to $19M

is easily winning the popularity contest with an estimated four day opening of $31.5 million over the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, although severe winter weather saw more than 50 theaters close Friday in such hubs as Chicago and Toronto. Many of the shuttered cinemas hope to reopen Saturday.

The Paramount film arrives on the big screen 20 years after the Lindsay Lohan led cult classic , which was directed by Mark Waters and written by , strutted into cinemas. Fey returned to pen the script for the new film, which stars Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho, Bebe Wood and Chris Briney.

Fey and Tim Meadows also reprise their roles from the 2004 movie. Females turned out in force to see the new film, making up 74 percent of Friday ticket buyers. Younger females in particular were keen to see the musical right away. Nearly 70 percent of all ticket buyers were between ages 18 and 34, including 40 percent between 18 and 24.

The movie topped Friday’s chart with $11.5 million and is coming in ahead of expectations. The original sports a Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 84 percent; the score for the new film is currently a fresh 70 percent from the first 108 reviews. While the 2004 film earned an A CinemaScore, the updated version earned a B+.

Directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., cost a relatively modest $36 million to produce before marketing and is the latest musical to brave the big screen after and . Amazon/MGM’s , the latest action pic starring Jason Statham, is also exceeding expectations and buzzing to a second place finish with an estimated four day opening of $19.2 million.

It received a B CinemaScore. The film hoped to serve as counterprogramming for men and is doing just that. Males made up 62 percent of Friday’s audience. Those between the ages of 25 and 34 made up the largest segment of ticket buyers, or 36 percent. Among other MLK nationwide openers, Legendary Pictures’ Black led biblical satirical drama is bombing.

The Sony release, which also received a B CinemaScore, is headed for a four day haul of roughly $3 million, putting it outside the top 10. Jeymes Samuel directs the Jesus period movie, with producing. The includes LaKeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Omar Sy, Alfre Woodard, David Oyelowo and James McAvoy. At the specialty box office, Cord Jefferson’s awards contender is doing nice business as MGM and Amazon up its theater count to 625 locations.

The critically acclaimed film is headed for a four day holiday gross of $2 million. Adapted from Percival Everett’s satirical novel , stars Jeffrey Wright as a frustrated author facing the Black artist’s dilemma. Sterling K. Brown, Leslie Uggams, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae and Adam Brody co star.

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