Often imitated, never duplicated! The iconic teen comedy Mean Girls has become a staple in modern pop culture, and its appreciation has been once again revived with the 2024 musical version of the film. And despite the movie’s new version earning $28 million in its first three days in theaters, according to Billboard, Mean Girls’ original star remains the winner of the social media popularity contest.
That’s right, Lindsay Lohan, who famously played the 2004 Mean Girls protagonist, Cady Heron, has been named the most influential star of all the Mean Girls movie’s cast, earning a jaw-dropping amount of money, according to a new Instagram study.
Social poker site Replay Poker analyzed the Instagram accounts of cast members starring in the original 2004 Mean Girls and 2024’s new musical adaptation to reveal the stars with the highest maximum earnings per sponsored post on the platform.
Cast members such as Rachel McAdams, who played the original idolized antagonist Regina George in the 2004 Mean Girls, Tina Fey, Lizzy Caplan, and Jon Hamm are not currently active on Instagram and, therefore, did not feature in the study.
Lindsay Lohan, who famously played Mean Girls’ protagonist, Cady Heron, has been named the most influential star of all the Mean Girls movie’s cast
But Lindsay, the original Mean Girls lead, came up as the most prominent actor in the entire franchise, ranking higher than every other cast member.
Since gaining immense popularity in the early 2000s for her roles in various films, including Mean Girls, the 37-year-old actress has accumulated over 14.2 million followers on Instagram.
And thanks to her legion of fans on the platform, she can earn up to £46,700 ($58,769.4) for one sponsored post on Instagram, almost double the amount of any other Mean Girls star, Replay Poker noted in their study.
Amanda Seyfried, Mean Girls’ original Karen Smith, was named the second most influential cast member. After starring in the 2004 film, the 38-year-old actress went on to enjoy a successful career, securing a Golden Globe and an Emmy while also starring in major Hollywood films like Les Misérables and Mamma Mia!
Rachel McAdams, who played the original idolized antagonist Regina George in the 2004 Mean Girls, isn’t currently active on Instagram
Her glittering career has seen her gather over 6.2 million followers on Instagram, offering her the opportunity to earn up to £24,700 ($31,089) per sponsored post on the platform.
Better known for her long-running role as Pam in The Office, Jenna Fischer is the highest-paid star of the new 2024 version of Mean Girls on Instagram and the third highest-earning of the franchise overall.
The 49-year-old actress took on the role of Ms Heron, originally held by Ana Gasteyer in the original film.
Jenna’s popularity on Instagram has seen her follower count rise to over 3.8 million, more than any other actor in the new Mean Girls musical film adaptation, including new lead Reneé Rapp, who plays the 2024 musical version’s Regina George.
Amanda Seyfried, Mean Girls’ original Karen Smith, was named the second most influential cast member
Jenna is estimated to earn up to £17,300 ($21,775) for a single sponsored post on Instagram.
2024 Mean Girls’ new Aaron Samuels, Christopher Briney, is the fourth most influential star of the franchise. As the highest-earning male cast member, the 25-year-old actor ranks above people like Jonathan Bennett, who was the original Aaron Samuels from the 2004 movie.
With a lead role in the Amazon Prime series The Summer I Turned Pretty, he has gathered a significant fanbase on social media, with more than 3.3 million followers on Instagram.
Christopher has some of the most engaged fans of any cast member, with an engagement rate of 17.1%, and can earn a maximum of £15,400 ($19,383.4) per sponsored post on Instagram.
According to Later, an Instagram engagement rate is a calculation that shows what percentage of the people you’ve reached have interacted with your content. It typically takes into account the number of likes, comments, and saves a post receives to determine your overall reach.
Reneé Rapp cements her place as the seventh highest-earning Mean Girls star on Instagram
Ashley Park, who appeared as a French teacher in a cameo, a new role created for the 2024 Mean Girls, is also among the franchise’s most influential stars. Ashley originated the role of Gretchen Weiners in the original Broadway production.
She has since garnered fame and success for her role in Emily in Paris and is now followed by over 2.8 million people on Instagram. The 32-year-old actress can earn up to £13,800 ($17,369.6) for a sponsored post on the platform, making her the fifth highest-earning Mean Girls star on Instagram.
Cougar Town and Dawson’s Creek actress Busy Phillips placed sixth on the list of the highest-earning Mean Girls cast members on Instagram. Busy, who followed up Amy Poehler’s iconic turn as Regina George’s mother in the original film, remains popular on Instagram, with over 2.4 million followers. She can earn up to £12,200 ($15,355.7) per sponsored post on the platform.
American singer, songwriter, and actress Reneé Rapp not only cements her place as the seventh highest-earning Mean Girls star on Instagram, but she also has the most loyal fans of any cast member.
Lindsay can earn up to £46,700 ($58,769.4) for one sponsored post on Instagram, almost double the amount of any other Mean Girls star
Enjoying success with music and the HBO series The Sex Lives of College Girls, the 24-year-old talent reprised the role of the leader of the Plastics, Regina George.
Reneé has an impressive engagement rate on Instagram of 20.8%. Her road to stardom has seen her gain over 2.2 million followers on Instagram so far, meaning she can earn up to £7,600 ($9,565.9) for one sponsored post.
The original Gretchen Weiners, Lacey Chabert, remains popular 20 years on from the release of the original Mean Girls.
The 41-year-old actress, who also starred in films such as Not Another Teen Movie and Daddy Day Care, has almost 1.1 million followers on Instagram, earning a possible £6,400 (8,055.5) for each sponsored post. These earnings secured her position as the eighth highest-earning Mean Girls star on Instagram.
Jonathan Bennett was named the ninth most influential Mean Girls cast member. The 42-year-old actor, who played the original Aaron Samuels, has amassed over 1 million followers on Instagram thanks to his role in the hit 00s comedy, as well as films like Cheaper by the Dozen 2.
The Instagram accounts of cast members starring in the original 2004 Mean Girls and 2024’s new musical adaptation were analyzed
With an engagement rate of 1.3% on Instagram, Jonathan can earn up to £6,100 ($7,677.9) per sponsored post, making him the ninth highest-earning cast member of Mean Girls on Instagram.
Auli’i Cravalho rounds out the 10 highest-earning Mean Girls stars on Instagram. The 23-year-old actress played Janis ‘lmi’ike in the new musical adaptation, a role made popular by Lizzy Caplan.
Auli’i may be better known for her lead role voicing Disney princess Moana. Her Instagram following has grown to over 840,000, allowing her to earn up to £4,900 ($6,167.5) for one sponsored post.
“Mean Girls’ status as a cult classic means the original actors remain as popular as ever on social media,” Ash Keene, operations manager at Replay Poker, said.
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