After an extremely troubled production cycle, Scream 7 finally hit theaters this weekend, looking to enthrall audiences with a nostalgia-fueled installment that brought back franchise icon Neve Campbell. Unfortunately, the film does not appear to have delivered the desired results from a critical perspective, earning some of the worst reviews in the entire series. It’s a very different story at the box office, however. Scream 7 was always projected to do very well in its debut, and it only became more apparent it was going to be a hit after it posted record numbers during its preview screenings. Now, Scream 7 has made even more history.
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According to Deadline, Scream 7 is estimated to have earned around $64.1 million domestically over its first three days, which is a new all-time record for the franchise. That figure is considerably higher than Scream VI, which earned $44.4 million domestically in its debut. After one weekend, Scream 7‘s worldwide total stands at approximately $97.2 million, which is higher than what Scream 4 made in its entire run (unadjusted for inflation). Going into the weekend, estimates had Scream 7 pegged for a domestic debut in the $45-50 million range.
Will Scream 7 Have Strong Legs at the Box Office?
Though Scream 7 earned largely negative reviews, it isn’t surprising that it got off to such a strong start at the box office. Not only does the Scream brand name remain popular after three decades, the franchise’s latest installment wasn’t facing much in the way of stiff competition. Scream 7 was this weekend’s highest-profile new release by far, and it easily surged past holdovers such as GOAT and Wuthering Heights. The bigger test for the horror sequel will be how it fares over the next couple of weeks. There are reasons to be concerned about its box office legs.
Horror movies can be front-loaded, meaning they do a majority of their damage in their opening weekends before suffering significant drop-offs in ticket sales. Last year’s The Conjuring: Last Rites is a good example of this practice in action; much like Scream 7, Last Rites broke franchise box office records of its own by posting an $84 million domestic debut. In its second weekend, it fell nearly 70%. It wouldn’t be shocking if something similar happened in the case of Scream 7. Die-hard fans were always going to show up for the first weekend regardless of reviews, but the word of mouth could discourage more casual audiences from checking it out on the big screen.
The marketplace is also set to get a bit more crowded this weekend with the debuts of Pixar’s Hoppers and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride!. While both of these films seem to be targeting different audiences than Scream 7 (though there might be some crossover with horror fans for The Bride!), general moviegoers now have more options to choose from. Hoppers has been generating positive buzz in the lead up to its release, so it could be a much-needed rebound for Pixar. Expectations for The Bride! aren’t as high, though it still boasts a star-studded cast (including Oscar frontrunner Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale) and a bold, distinct style.
There’s a good chance Scream 7‘s time atop the box office chart doesn’t last beyond this week, but the good news for Paramount is that the film never needed to break the bank to be profitable. Its reported production budget is $45 million, so Scream 7 is well on its way to ending up in the black by the time its theatrical run is complete. There’s a reason why Paramount is already developing Scream 8; the IP remains a reliable draw and can even overcome poor reviews. If Scream is to continue, the filmmakers should still look for a way to put a fresh spin on things and attempt to bounce back from a critical perspective.
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Image Courtesy of Toei Animation
