The remake of the ‘Mean Girls’ film, first released on Jan. 8, is encountering heavy criticism for its “overly Gen Z” scenes and its misleading promotion. Having generated $38 million in its first week of release, the musical adaptation of the Broadway show grossed $3.2 million on its second Friday, marking a hefty 71 percent drop from opening day.
Fans are frustrated with Paramount, the studio behind Mean Girls, for its deceptive teasers and trailers, which failed to disclose that the film is a musical. Marc Weinstock, president of global marketing and distribution at Paramount, justified their actions, explaining that branding the movie as a musical would have repelled audiences.
“I mean like, I do understand why they wanted to hide that the movie was a musical,” Olivia Park (11), film enthusiast, said. “After all, musical movies are just not a thing anymore. So it is true that disclosing that information would have most likely prevented the movie from reaching such a high watch rate. However, they should not have tricked their audiences just to extract profit.”
Many took to social media platforms to express their disappointment over the deceptive marketing, voicing that they are victims of false advertisement. This outburst was particularly prevalent on X, formerly known as Twitter, with comments and posts arguing for greater transparency in film marketing.
“I am very disappointed with Paramount,” Alex Lee (11), filmmaker, said. “As most audiences have already communicated, honesty is so important when it comes to marketing your film. People expect what they see on commercials, so obviously they would feel negatively when they realize they have paid to watch something entirely different from what they were told.”
Casting decisions also faced mixed reactions, with fans expressing that Renée Rapp, the actor who plays Regina George, is “too fat” to embody the character’s stereotypical “popular-girl aura” from the original 2000s film. Others commended Paramount for neglecting societal norms and promoting healthy body image.
“I think it is great that Paramount decided to cast Renée Rapp,” said Seohyun Park (11), Mean Girls fan, said. “Not only does she have years of experience playing Regina George for the Broadway musical Mean Girls, but she also has that authentic vibe to her that makes the character shine in a unique manner. People should really stop judging her for her body and just accept this new interpretation of Regina as it is.”
During the presentation of Mean Girls, the musical, Rapp was questioned about the issue and how she copes with these cruel accusations. Reneé highlighted that it is “stupid” that amid endless topics offered by the film directed by Mark Waters, the topic of conversation is her body.
