Despite debuting to mixed reviews, Scream 7 managed to achieve a truly impressive opening weekend at the box office, surpassing the performance of all previous installments in the saga and setting a new box office record for the franchise. The horror sequel, released last week, grossed $64.1 million at the domestic box office in the United States and $97.2 million worldwide, as reported by Box Office Mojo. This means that Scream 7 had the best opening weekend of the entire slasher series, surpassing the previous record held by Scream 6. The previous installment held the record at $44.4 million, earned in 2023.
This is a remarkable feat for Scream 7, especially after receiving mixed reviews and a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, paradoxically the lowest in the Scream series. Forecasts had predicted the film would open at $60 million globally and around $35 million domestically, but since the box office is not an exact science, Scream 7 ‘overperformed’, exceeding expectations.
The figure is also Paramount’s best horror debut ever, surpassing Paranormal Activity 3’s $52.5 million, and the best debut ever for a horror film in February, surpassing 2001’s Hannibal ($58 million). “Breaking the franchise’s opening record with the seventh installment is a testament to the enduring strength of this franchise, the persistence of Ghostface as an iconic villain, and the exceptional cast and directors who brought it to life,” said Shaun Barber, Paramount’s head of domestic film distribution. The film is directed by Kevin Williamson, who wrote the screenplays for the first four films, directed by franchise creator Wes Craven.
Scream 7 sees the return of Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, who is trying to live a quiet, normal life with her family in a new town, far from Woodsboro. However, her new world is turned upside down when a new Ghostface killer targets her family, especially her daughter Tatum (Isabel May), who is the same age as Sidney was in the very first Scream movie. The sequel sees Courteney Cox return as Gale Weathers, as well as Scream stars Matthew Lillard and David Arquette, and Scream 3’s Ghostface killer Scott Foley, all appearing in Scream 7 despite their characters seemingly dying earlier in the franchise.
Of course, the box office success of Scream 7 means that fans could see their favorite characters again very soon, as Neve Campbell has confessed that she already has an idea for Scream 8…whose realization, however, will depend, as always, on the reception the new film receives.
Scream 7 is now in theaters.
