Despite having turned 30 this year, the Scream film series is still able to make waves at the box office as Scream 7’s opening weekend has just smashed domestic, international, and global franchise records.
These franchise records were previously held by its predecessor, Scream VI (the only entry to use Roman numerals, for some reason), which, on its opening weekend, made $44.4 million domestically and $22.6 million internationally, for a total of $67 million, and it would conclude its box office run with $166.6 million. Scream 7, meanwhile, has grossed $64.1 million domestically and $33.1 million internationally on its opening weekend, which adds up to a whopping $97.2 million.
The franchise’s corporate overlords Paramount Pictures – which is owned and run by the ghoulish Ellison family – is undoubtedly ecstatic with such a strong, record-breaking opening weekend for their storied franchise. However, the true test will be in its second weekend, as more often than not a picture sees a drop-off in box office numbers after its opening weekend, so it then becomes a question of how significant the dip will be, and if the movie can retain the number one spot on the box office charts. There are exceptions to this trend, though, with the most notable and recent example being 2023’s Sound of Freedom, which made an estimated 39% more in its second weekend and went on to be a huge box office success.
It remains to be seen how Scream 7 will fare on its second weekend, but what can be said is that there are two major factors affecting its outcome: the competition, and word-of-mouth.
While Scream 7 doesn’t face overtly stiff competition in its second weekend, with the biggest new releases arguably being Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride and the animated Pixar feature Hoppers, word-of-mouth might be more of a problem. CinemaScore, which polls audience members after having seen a movie, reported a B-, which might not sound too bad, but this is the lowest mark in the franchise, tying with the disappointing Scream 4. Yet, Scream 7 has already overcome some notable obstacles in its opening weekend, which not only involved the worst critical reviews of the entire franchise, but also a notable protest at the premiere.
You would be forgiven for thinking that the most controversial days were behind the Scream franchise, especially considering that this latest controversy began a little over two years ago with the firing of Melissa Barerra, who served as the franchise lead for the previous two entries, Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023). Barerra posted a series of messages on social media in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, stating that “Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp,” while also criticizing the Israeli government for “Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity no water … People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.”
However, according to a source from Variety, the post that allegedly got her fired was: “Western media only shows the [Israeli] side. Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.” The insinuation here is the conspiracy theory that a Jewish cabal secretly controls or holds immense sway over most, if not all, media companies and their coverage of topics such as Gaza. Is such a comment misguided and self-sabotaging? Absolutely. Did it warrant her firing? Certainly not! Especially when one considers another post she made:
“As we all wake up to what is (and has been) happening in Gaza and see it for what it is, it is very important to also understand: Just like all Palestinians are NOT Hamas, All Jewish people are NOT the Israeli Govt. Do not blame, or hate on, a whole group of people because of what some are doing,” the actor added. “I stand with all those caught in the crossfire. I pray for freedom and peace for you and your families.”
The Mexican actress’ firing was more political than her words ever were, which is a major reason why fans are protesting Paramount’s actions over two years later. Not only that, but her co-star, Jenna Ortega, later revealed that she dropped out of Scream 7 because Barrera was fired, as did the original Scream 7 director Christopher Landon, who said, “There was no movie anymore. The whole script was about her. I didn’t sign on to make ‘a Scream movie.’ I signed on to make that movie. When that movie no longer existed, I moved on.”
As such, according to Variety, this all led to a reported $500,000 rewrite of the script, with the studio then hiring writer and series creator Kevin Williamson to direct, and of course Canada’s Neve Campbell agreed to return as the lead after opting out of Scream VI due to a pay dispute. Campbell undoubtedly smelled blood in the water after Paramount lost their previous stars, as she has earned a reported $7 million paycheck for her return.
Still, it has seemingly paid off for the studio, as Scream 7’s outstanding opening weekend puts it well on track to not only turn a tidy profit, but to also become the highest grossing entry in the franchise to date. The question, however, is if the combination of poor word-of-mouth and geo-political controversy will be enough to hinder its continued performance. We will have our answer in the coming weeks.