The title reads “Mean Girls,” but it probably refers to the makers and their treatment towards India. Paramount managed to pull off something evil and somewhat of a bad strategy.
They are planning to release it in India tomorrow, the 23rd of February, but how successful will it be?
Now, “Mean Girls” wasn’t a success in India. There was less exposure to Western cinema, and the lack of advertisements magnified the issue. But the audience is changing in the country. India is now watching things from the West and sometimes even ruling the market.
“Mean Girls 2” has all the chances not to do well in the Indian market, carrying forward all the problems seen in the first part. Lack of advertisements will definitely contribute, but it is also coming too late as the hype is definitely dying down.
The big studios like Paramount, WB, or Universal should not make the same mistake. During the global release, they should aim for Disney’s strategy as they usually aim for the same release date.
Will it be successful?
The chances look timid right now and that is not going to change. Though India isn’t hosting some massy film right now, there are very little chances that the audience will go out and watch a film like this. The makers should have opted for an exclusive OTT release rather than a theatrical one, which is defined to get slapped.
The studios will blame the Indian market and repeat the same mistake.