Many critics claimed cinema was dead. Between the pandemic and the rise of streaming platforms, movie theaters have had several rough years. According to CNN, in 2022, thirty percent fewer people went to the movies than in 2019. Several movie theater companies, including AMC, flirted with bankruptcy. Yet in 2023, the movies came roaring back.

I wasn’t going to watch the new Mean Girls movie at first. I knew it was a remake of the recent Broadway musical, which wasn’t entirely engrossing. I’d heard about Angourie Rice’s flat singing and awkward camera angles. Honestly, I just don’t watch a lot of movies in theaters in general. But then I saw this TikTok by Glenn DeVar and knew I had to check it out myself.