Mean Girls is proving that traditions never die as it is at the top of the charts on streaming on October 3. Mean Girls was released in 2004 and follows Cady (played by Lindsay Lohan) as she joins a new school, but has to face The Plastics, led by queen bee Regina (played by Rachel McAdams).
Even twenty-one years later, Mean Girls stands the test of time, and on October 3 was the most-streamed movie on Paramount+. October 3 is hailed worldwide as Mean Girls Day due to the famous quote said by Lohan’s character, Cady: “On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was.”
Mean Girls is filled to the brim with memorable moments, quotes, and traditions, including The Plastics wearing pink on Wednesdays. Every year, social media is filled with memes and quotes from Mean Girls, marking October 3 the unofficial Mean Girls holiday.
Mean Girls Impacted Pop Culture 20 Years Later
The 2004 comedy grossed over $130 million worldwide, and the musical reboot made in 2024 grossed over $84 million. It even received an impressive 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
This film is regarded by many as an iconic movie for teenagers, as it plays on the high-school stereotypes and exaggerates them. Written by comedian Tina Fey and directed by Mark Waters, this seemingly normal high-school comedy dominated the box office and continues to dominate the streaming charts.
Mean Girls was so successful that a musical production even made its way to Broadway and is still running. The Broadway production was then turned into a new adaptation of the 2004 movie and starred the Broadway lead, Reneé Rapp, as Regina George.
How Mean Girls Stands The Test of Time
The “October 3rd” line seems so simple and inconsequential, but in the context of Cady pining for Regina’s ex, Aaron Samuels (played by Jonathan Bennett), it stuck, and Mean Girls remains a favorite go-to, whether that be for nostalgia or some cringey early noughties comedy.
Tina Fey wrote the screenplay based on the book Queen Bees & Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends & Other Realities of Adolescence, written by Rosalind Wiseman. Fey also incorporated real-life scenarios and names to make the movie feel personal.