After 18 years, Lindsay Lohan’s mainstream comeback will be solidified thanks to Freakier Friday. Almost 22 years to the day after the original movie was released in 2003, the story of Freakier Friday is finally here. The film is the latest in a long line of legacy sequels, though Freakier Friday‘s reviews indicate it is one that truly works.
This could largely be due to the return of the first movie’s main cast members, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, which would render a rewatch of Freaky Friday somewhat vital before catching the sequel. Curtis has long been a household name, with recent performances rendering her an Academy Award win, an Emmy win, and several nominations.
This makes it a big deal that Curtis has returned, with Freakier Friday‘s trailer proving exactly why. Even beyond that, though, it is significant that Lindsay Lohan has reprised her role as Anna in Freakier Friday, as it solidifies her comeback that has been 18 years in the making.
Freakier Friday Is The Major Role Lindsay Lohan Has Been Building Back Up To
Lindsay Lohan has been building towards Freakier Friday for some time now, almost two decades, driven by some setbacks earlier in her career. Lohan came to prominence as a child actor in The Parent Trap, before Freaky Friday and Mean Girls saw her receive widespread fame in the early 2000s. Lohan also appeared in Herbie: Fully Loaded in 2005.
2007 marked her last major Hollywood role in the decade, though, with Georgia Rule and I Know Who Killed Me. Lohan then suffered several setbacks in her personal and professional life, primarily driven by substance abuse and subsequent legal issues. Since 2007, Lohan has been building towards her comeback via rehabilitation and work in TV and music.
2022 began to solidify this comeback, with Lohan landing her first lead role in Hollywood since 2007. Lohan appeared in Falling for Christmas, a Netflix original movie. While not the best Lindsay Lohan movie, the holiday rom-com received positive reviews, with many praising Lohan’s performance after such a long hiatus. Lohan’s deal with Netflix led to two more starring roles in 2024.
Irish Wish received similar reviews to Falling for Christmas, with Lohan’s performance singled out as a bright spot. Our Little Secret was not as positively reviewed, but most pointed out that Lohan did an admirable job of elevating a tired script. Regardless, these three movies proved that Lohan could star in major movies once more, with 2025 solidifying this comeback.
Freakier Friday is the final step in Lohan’s comeback. Even more so than the aforementioned Netflix movies, Freakier Friday holds importance given its theatrical run. The Netflix movies were a good way for Lohan to get back in the acting saddle, but Freakier Friday is a worldwide release and a long-awaited sequel to a beloved classic.
2003’s Freaky Friday is well-loved and well-known for putting Lohan on the map as a comedic actor after her childhood work. 20 years later, the sequel is even more anticipated than it would have been had it been made in the 2000s. For this reason, it will truly mark Lohan’s comeback.
Freakier Friday is a major studio production, with Disney heading the project. Lohan will appear alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and the other cast members from the original Freaky Friday. All of this marks it as a much bigger deal than the actor’s Netflix movies, though they undoubtedly contributed to 2025 being the final stage of Lohan’s 18-year comeback.
Freakier Friday Sets Up Lindsay Lohan For More Success
Despite the pressure placed on Freakier Friday to complete Lindsay Lohan’s comeback, it seems the film will succeed and set the actor up for the future. Firstly, Freakier Friday‘s Rotten Tomatoes score has debuted. The film currently has a 78% approval rating from critics, with 65 reviews counted thus far.
The consensus highlights both Curtis and Lohan as bright sparks of the sequel, with both “easily slipping back into roles that fit them.” This coincides with fairly strong box office projections for the movie. Freakier Friday is expected to earn around $30 million in its opening weekend, and that is without counting international markets.
2003’s Freaky Friday only had a budget of $26 million. Although the sequel will likely be more expensive, it is hard to see it costing too much more. Therefore, a $30 million domestic opening weekend haul would be impressive for the film, with its international gross only adding to this.
The film performing well, combined with its positive reviews, will only help Lohan get more consistent, mainstream work once more. It is unclear exactly what Lohan will do after Freakier Friday, but the film will be integral to solidifying her as the leading comedic actor she was in the early 2000s.
Finally, 18 years after her last major studio leading role, Lohan will be back. Freakier Friday could not be more important to this reality, and if its reviews and early projections are anything to go by, the return to a beloved role will prove to be a masterstroke for Lindsay Lohan’s Hollywood comeback.
